Doha, Qatar (SportsNetwork.com) - David Ferrer opened his 2015 season with a title, beating Tomas Berdych in straight sets for the Qatar Open championship on Saturday.
The fourth-seeded Ferrer notched a 6-4, 7-5 victory to claim his 22nd career ATP World Tour crown. He has already matched his title total from last year, as the 32-year-old Spaniard was 1-3 in finals.
"I put in hard work this preseason," said Ferrer in an on-court interview after the match. "It's special winning this tournament."
Ferrer's best previous finish in four tries at this event was a semifinal appearance in 2013. He lost in the second round last year.
Berdych fell to 10-15 lifetime in finals and was 2-3 last year in title matches, winning in Rotterdam and Stockholm. He was a first-round loser at this event last year in his first-ever appearance.
The third-seeded Czech had not dropped serve in winning each of his first four matches this week in straight sets, but Ferrer changed that in the first game with a break and opened a 4-1 lead en route to winning the first set.
Berdych was broken twice in the second set, the last time in the 11th game, and Ferrer held to finish the match.
Ferrer improved to 8-5 all-time against Berdych and snapped a two-match losing streak in the series. The two met in the Australian Open quarterfinals last year, with Berdych capturing a four-set victory.
The Australian Open is set to begin Jan. 19 in Melbourne.
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