Stepanek wins Countrywide final

There aren’t many instances when a 28-year-old Czech will do the electric worm in front of thousands.

But on Sunday afternoon Radek Stepanek had more than enough reasons to celebrate his 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-2 victory over No. 2 seeded James Blake to capture the 2007 Countrywide Classic title.

“I just felt a release in the body and just fell down,” Stepanek said. “I’m the kind of person who certainly shows his emotion.”

The win was especially emotional for Stepanek after an injury-plagued year in 2006. He reached the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and broke into the top-10 in the ATP rankings for the first time in his career before suffering a neck injury that kept him out for the rest of the season. The injury has continued to plague him since.

At one point after the injury, Stepanek struggled to regain any feeling in his right arm, and there was nothing he could do but hope for the best while resting in bed.

“I was just hoping,” Stepanek said about the injury. “I couldn’t do anything else: just exercise and wait to see if it’s going to come back or not. Luckily it came back, and I can’t complain today.”

The world’s No. 101-ranked player had no problem feeling his arm against the No. 9-ranked Blake. Stepanek showcased a wide array of shots and a serve that helped him clinch the championship.

Coming into the championship match, Stepanek had played just five sets in the tournament. Blake had played 10. Stepanek’s first round opponent, Alex Bogdanovic, retired after losing the first set and Nicolas Kiefer, whom he was scheduled to play on Saturday night in the semifinal, withdrew before the start of the match due to a sudden knee injury.

Despite all the time off, Stepanek, who is engaged to women’s tennis sensation Martina Hingis, seemed ready to play from the beginning, making Blake pay for several costly errors before capturing the second title of his career.

“The feeling is different,” Stepanek said. “The first one is always going to be the first one, but this one, for me emotionally, means much more.”

Blake, considered to be one of the most athletic players on the tour, struggled to keep himself in points when Stepanek would hit a drop shot in his direction, even though he managed to reach the majority of them.

“He hits them so often that he knows where to position himself on the court,” Blake said. “He did a great job of defending when I did get to them.”

But it wasn’t just his drop shots that helped Stepanek take home a win he never thought possible just a year ago. Stepanek’s serve once again prevailed, as he dug himself out of a deep hole at a crucial junction in the first set.

Facing three break points that would’ve given Blake the chance to serve for the set in the next game, Stepanek reeled off five straight points, including two aces and a service winner. Stepanek was also able to save three set points in the tiebreaker of the first set, to set himself up for a set point of his own, which he converted.

Even after dropping the second set and being broken twice, Stepanek felt more than confident that he was still in a position to do some damage against Blake, who had won three straight meetings against the Countrywide Classic champion.

“I was positive because I knew I was getting close,” Stepanek said. “Even in the second set when I had my chances which I was not able to use.”

After receiving treatment for a tight hamstring on a changeover, the Czech was able to break Blake’s serve after a double fault and a backhand return winner down the line.

From there Stepanek took over, eventually breaking Blake’s serve for the third time in the match to capture a title in his first-ever appearance at the tournament.

If there’s anyone who understands the comeback process, it’s Blake. The 27-year-old enjoyed a similar resurgence in 2006 after a serious neck injury in 2004.

“If he keeps playing like that, I think he has a chance of getting back (to an elite level),” Blake said. “He’s proven once that he can be in the top 10, so there’s no reason to think he can’t again.”

But before he gets too far ahead of himself, Stepanek will enjoy the moment and focus on his mental and physical conditioning.

“I’m definitely getting stronger mentally, and now I’m on my way back,” he said. “I know that it’s going to take time, patience and hard work.”

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