Benneteau-Mahut Win First Title In Six Years

In a final contested by two French wild card teams Sunday, Julien Benneteau and Nicolas Mahut defeated Arnaud Clement and Sebastien Grosjean 6-4, 7-6(6) to capture the title at the Grand Prix de Tennis de Lyon, an ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament.

Breaks were exchanged midway through the first set before Benneteau and Mahut broke once more and claimed a one-set lead. The teams were largely inseparable in the second set, which Benneteau and Mahut edged on a tie-break after 85 minutes. Both teams had accounted for the top two seeds in the first round, with Benneteau and Mahut defeating No. 1 Wesley Moodie and Dick Norman and Clement and Grosjean dismissing No. 2 Bruno Soares and Kevin Ullyett.

Playing together for just the second time this season, Benneteau and Mahut were contesting their first ATP World Tour final since finishing runner-up in Lyon (l. to Erlich-Ram) six years ago. A week before their runner-up effort in Lyon, they had captured their only ATP World Tour title at the Open de Moselle in Metz (d. Llodra-Santoro).

Victory marked the 27-year-old Benneteau’s second doubles crown in Lyon, having previously triumphed in 2006 with Clement. The right-hander improved to a 5-2 mark in ATP World Tour doubles finals after winning his second title of the season; two weeks ago he lifted the trophy at the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 presented by Rolex, partnering Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

"It's great to win a title," said Benneteau. "We had been to the final once before so it feels great to win this time around. Obviously it's always nice to leave a tournament with a trophy in your hands. After winning the doubles at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, and winning this title on home soil, it's been a good few weeks for me in doubles."

Mahut, also 27, won his first ATP World Tour doubles title since the 2004 Open de Moselle (w/ Clement) and improved to a 3-3 mark in ATP World Tour doubles finals. All three of his titles have come on home soil.

"I have really struggled this whole year," admitted Mahut. "I didn't know whether I would be playing in this tournament and I found out last Saturday that I had been given the wild card. I was ready to pack my bags to go on holiday but all of a sudden I'm playing the tournament in Lyon, and seven days later I have the trophy in my hands. It's great to finish the season with a smile. It was emotional to win the tournament in front of our families who were watching in the crowd."

Clement and Grosjean slipped to a 2-2 record in ATP World Tour doubles finals, having finished runners-up in Lyon for the second time following defeat to Daniel Nestor and Nenad Zimonjic in the 2001 final.