Krajicek Aces Out Grosjean for Title

Richard Krajicek won his first U.S. tournament title since 1993 Saturday, dealing 24 aces to beat unseeded Sebastien Grosjean, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2, 7-5, in the final of the Lipton Championships.

Krajicek struggled in the opening set, losing his serve for only the third and fourth times in the tournament, then found the groove. Reaching a top speed of 130 mph, he lost only nine of 61 points on his first serve.

Krajicek, who beat Pete Sampras for the fourth consecutive time in the quarterfinals, earned $360,000 for his 17th title, his second this year. His last U.S. title came at Los Angeles six years ago.

Krajicek, 27, will climb to a career-best fourth in next week’s rankings. Grosjean, 20, will move from 74th into the mid-40s for reaching his first ATP Tour final. He earned $190,000.

Grosjean couldn’t compete with Krajicek’s power, but he had the edge in baseline rallies and came up with the shot of the match, retreating to chase down a lob and then whirling to smack a forehand winner.