Klizan eases to victory in Casablanca

Matthew Rogerson

Klizan eases to victory in Casablanca image

The Grand Prix Hassan II final proved a step too far for Spain's Daniel Gimeno-Traver, as he was comfortably dispatched 6-2 6-2 by Martin Klizan on Sunday.

Gimeno-Traver knocked out third seed Jiri Vesely in Saturday's semi-final but struggled to produce another upset against Klizan in his first ATP World Tour final as the 54-place difference in the world rankings showed.

In the pair's second career meeting, second seed Klizan started strongly, breaking at the first attempt before saving four break points in the fourth.

With Klizan proved dominant on his first serve, the Slovakian wrapped up the opening set in just 38 minutes.

The world number 41, who beat Gimeno-Traver in the second round of the Ecuador Open in Quito earlier this year, was similarly prosperous in the second set, surging into a 3-1 lead.

Klizan's suffered a rare troublesome moment in the eighth and final game when he was forced to save three more break points, before clinching match point at the first attempt.

It represents Klizan's third tour level title, adding the Casablanca trophy to previous wins in St. Petersburg and Munich last year.

Gimeno-Traver told the ATP's official website: "It was a difficult match for me. I played a long match [on Saturday] and I didn't feel very well today.

"Martin played a great match and deserved to win. I will always remember this week and I'm very happy that I reached my first final here."

Matthew Rogerson