French player Arnaud Clement has thrilled tennis fans in Marseille, where he defeated sixth seed Mario Ancic of Croatia in the final of the Open 13 men's tennis tournament.
The unseeded Clement breezed through the final Sunday, 6-4, 6-2, on the indoor hardcourt at the Palais des Sports. The win was his third career title, all of which have been won in his home country. Ranked 65th in the world, Clement, adds the Marseille victory to his other titles won in Lyon and Metz in 2003.
The 28-year-old Clement's run to the title included a big semifinal win over world number two-ranked Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard made his return to the courts after being sidelined with an injury in October.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.