MALAYSIAN OPEN, KUALA LUMPUR, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
No. 2 seed Juan Monaco won his fourth title of 2012 on Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, defeating Frenchman Julien Benneteau 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 in three hours and one minute.
In a match that featured nine breaks of serve, Monaco used his higher ranking and confidence to out-duel his No. 34 ranked opponent from the baseline. Taking home his first career hard-court title, Monaco improved to 37-15 on the season and remains in contention for a final eight spot in the World Tour Finals.
For Benneteau, the loss dropped him to 0-7 in career finals and 0-2 this year. The 30-year-old had a great tournament, though, which featured a straight set win over top seed David Ferrer in the semifinals.
Monaco will next see action at the Japan Open next week, while Benneteau will take part in the China Open.