Mathieu rolls to Morocco crown
Casablanca, Morocco - Paul-Henri Mathieu of France rolled to a straight-set victory over Spain’s Albert Montanes to capture the Grand Prix Hassan II title.The eighth-seeded Mathieu needed just 62 minutes to notch a 6-1, 6-1 victory, earning his third career ATP crown. He had not won a tournament since capturing his only two titles in back-to-back weeks at Moscow and Lyon in 2002.Mathieu became the first Frenchman to win in Casablanca since Julien Boutter in 2003 and also became the second native of France to win an ATP crown this year, joining
Gilles Simon at Marseille.Montanes, meanwhile, fell to 0-4 lifetime in ATP finals. The Spaniard had previously lost in title matches at Bucharest in 2001, Valencia in 2004 and Acapulco in 2005.Mathieu, who faced Montanes for the first time, earned a first prize of $75,000.© 2007 The Sports Network