Intro:

Top-seeded Argentine Juan Martin del Potro successfully defended his Estoril Open title on Sunday (May 6th) with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Richard Gasquet of France.

Script:

Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro faced Richard Gasquet of France in the final of the Estoril Open on Sunday.

Seeded one and two respectively, a close encounter seemed likely, but del Potro began the defence of his title by breaking his opponent to love in the opening game.

This set the tone for the remainder of the set - with Gasquet forced to save further break points at 1-3 and 2-4 down.

In contrast, del Potro was serving with power and consistency and he wrapped up the set with a love hold after 54 minutes.

The Argentine continued to dominate from all areas of the court and broke once again in the first game of the second set.

And Gasquet's challenge was effectively over when del Potro secured a 4-1 lead with a powerful forehand winner.

After an hour and 27 minutes of patient slogging on the slow clay surface, del Potro unleashed an ace to claim his second successive Estoril Open title with an emphatic 6-4, 6-2 victory.

In total, del Potro dropped just 22 games en route to the title, and will have done much to bolster his confidence ahead of the French Open in a fortnight's time.