04.06.2016 13:33:28 | The sixth seeded Michail Kukukin defeated Marton Fucsovics of Hungary 6-1, 6-2 and became the unrivalled champion of the UniCredit Czech Ope.. It has been his second triumph over Fucsovics since he already beat him in Istanbul three years ago. Marton Fucsovics made it through to the final from the qualification. He gradually ousted Krstin of Serbia 6-4, 2-0 (retired), Lama of Chile 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the second round, the top seed Berankis of Lithuania 6-4, 7-6(2) in the quarter-final, and Cervantes of Spain with ease 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
Kukushkin of Kazakhstan received a check of EUR 15,300.00 during the award ceremony and gained 125 ATP ranking points. How did Kukushkin make it through to the title? He defeated Zopp of Estonia 6-3, 6-0 in the first round, Giannessi of Italy 7-6(1), 7-5 in the second round, Veselý 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 in the quarter-final, and Khachanov of Russia 6-1, 6-4 in the semi-final.
You have inflicted another crushing defeat… “Sure, it was a great match for me today. I tried to concentrate from the first game. Of course, it was the final, the very last match. I knew Marton Fucsovics was a very good player and that I had to play my best. I was quite confident today. I played my game and, finally, managed to win.
How does it feel to win the biggest Challenger in your career? “I feels great, really! When I came to Prostėjov I didn’t expect I’d win here. But I grew in confidence from match to match until I found myself in the final. I felt good today, I knew I had a chance to win. The Prostėjov Challenger is very famous on the tour and many great players appear here. The more I’m happy that I managed to win it today.
What do you think you improved to get you where you are now? “I fought hard in every match of this tournament which is very important on the clay court. I believe that the quarter-final in which I clashed with the local player Jiøí Veselý was my most important match on the tournament. It was a very tough match and I’m very happy I finally managed to beat my opponent in three sets.“
What are your goals for the rest of the season? “First of all, I want to stay injury free. I have already had a few injuries in my career and staying healthy is my priority now. Then, I’d like to improve my ranking as much as possible. I’ve already been in the top 50 and, if everything goes well, I’d like to go even further."
