DUESSELDORF, Germany — Juan Monaco beat Jarkko Nieminen 6-4, 6-3 to win the inaugural Power Horse Cup for his first title of the year on Saturday.
The victory for the third-seeded Argentine gave him a boost ahead of the French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year that starts Sunday.
The Duesseldorf ATP event, which replaced the World Team Cup, is a clay-court warm-up for the French Open.
Monaco won back-to-back matches at only three tournaments coming into Duesseldorf, but he did not drop a set in winning the eighth title of his career.
Monaco broke serve for a 5-4 lead and served out the set. He went up a break early in the second and broke his Finnish opponent again in the final game.
