HAMBURG, Germany, July 24 (UPI) -- France's Gilles Simon took Nicolas Almagro of Spain to three sets Sunday before prevailing with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory in the German Tennis Championships.
Simon, the fifth seed, broke a streak of 14 straight tournaments in which he didn't advance beyond the quarterfinals with his performance in Hamburg, wrapping up his second title of 2011 and the ninth of his career.
Simon secured the opening set when he broke serve in the fifth game. He then fell behind 3-0 in the second set, rallied to win the next four games, but ultimately surrendered the frame to Almagro.
The 26-year-old Frenchman, however, bounced back, quickly breaking serve in the first game of the third set and then cruising the rest of the way to the victory.
He became the first French national to win the clay-court event since Henri Leconte in 1986.
Almagro fell short in his bid for his fourth title of the year, falling to 10-4 all-time in ATP title matches.
