Lu Yen-hsun wins Suzhou challenger

Taiwan's veteran tennis ace Lu Yen-hsun (???) beat America's Stefan Kozlov 6-0, 6-1 in the ATP Suzhou Challenger final to win his fourth challenger event of the year and 26th title of his career on Sunday.

Lu, the top seed in Suzhou this week, needed three sets to overcome Kozlov in the quarterfinals of last week's Ningbo challenger and was expecting a tough match again, but the American provided little resistance on Sunday and lost in 51 minutes.

The win earned Lu 90 ranking points, which will likely move him back into the top 70 in the world singles rankings after starting the past week ranked 82nd.

The 33-year-old veteran only lost one set in five matches in Suzhou, in the northern part of Anhui Province, and said the biggest challenge during the week may have been dealing with external factors rather than trying to topple his opponents.

"Of this series of tournaments in China, the Suzhou Challenger was the worst, whether in terms of the environment, the facilities or the food. Everybody who played here had a tough time. The competition wasn't just about tennis skills. It was about willpower," Lu said.

Before Sunday's win, Lu had recorded an outstanding 29-5 record on the ATP Challenger Tour in 2016, winning three titles (last week in Ningbo and in Surbiton and Ilkley) and finishing runner-up at two other events (Seoul and Bangkok).

Lu said he now intends to take a break for the next month or so before beginning his winter training regimen in December.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel