Gilles Simon of France won the Thailand Open on Sunday, defeating Serbia’s Viktor Troicki 7-5, 6-3 in the final to capture his first ATP title of the year and sixth overall.
“I expected a very hard time on the court, and I had some (difficulty). It’s never easy to win a tournament,” said the second-seeded Gilles.
Troicki, seeded fourth, and Simon traded breaks late in the first set before the Frenchman broke when leading 6-5.
Simon decisively broke an error-prone Troicki to make it 4-2 in the second set.
The Frenchman won on his second match point when the Serbian hit a forehand return wide.
“I’m a little disappointed I didn’t win today,” said Troicki, who was striving to win his first title. “But Gilles played a great match and congratulations to him.”
Thailand Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva watched the final from the VIP stand and then presented Simon with his trophy.
