Stepanek shocks Monfils to win Washington title

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WASHINGTON: Radek Stepanek became the oldest winner of the ATP Washington Classic since Jimmy Connors in 1988, the 32-year-old Czech upsetting French top seed Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4 in Sunday's championship match.

Stepanek won his first ATP title in 2 1/2 years and the fifth of his career, rushing the net to control the tempo and frustrate the fleet-footed Frenchman to claim the $264,000 top prize at the $1.4 million US Open hardcourt tuneup.

Stepanek, the oldest player in the world's top 100, became the ATP's oldest champion since France's Fabrice Santoro at 35 at Newport in 2008, Washington's eldest winner since a 35-year-old Connors and a top-30 player after starting the week ranked 54th.

Stepanek had lost five of seven prior matches to Monfils, including their most recent clash two weeks ago on Hamburg clay, but dominated his first final since last year at Brisbane for his first title since 2009 at San Jose.

Seventh-ranked Monfils, in his first US final and his first final of any kind since last year's Paris Masters, fell to 3-11 in ATP title matches, foiled in a bid for his first outdoor hardcourt crown and fourth career title.