* Haas beats Djokovic on grass to win Halle title
* First title for Haas since Memphis in 2007
* German has now won titles on all surfaces
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By Karolos Grohmann
HALLE, Germany, June 14 - Tommy Haas won his first
title in more than two years when he beat world number four
Novak Djokovic 6-3 6-7 6-1 in the Halle tournament final on
Sunday.
Haas, a former world number two who had not won a title
since Memphis in 2007 after being plagued by a shoulder injury,
was the more consistent in a baseline encounter that lasted two
hours 12 minutes.
"It is such a great feeling to hold a trophy again," said
Haas, who has now won titles on all surfaces. "It makes all the
setbacks go away.
"I am not thinking of Wimbledon right now, just enjoying the
moment. But sure, this win gives me confidence going into the
tournament."
Both players stayed on the baseline and initially held serve
comfortably, allowing no break opportunity. The 31-year-old
Haas, world number 41, finally carved out a break at 4-3 and
served out the set a game later.
Djokovic, who has had trouble adjusting to the grass after a
long clay court season, added more variety to his game, rushing
at times to the net to force a tiebreak in the second set.
THREE DOUBLE FAULTS
The 22-year-old Serbian took advantage of an erratic Haas,
who double-faulted three times in the tiebreak to hand Djokovic
the set.
Djokovic himself double-faulted on a break point to give
Haas a 2-0 lead in the third set. He then wasted four break
points of his own, allowing the German to go 3-0 up before
breaking again to win the match.
"I was lucky to win the second set. Tommy made some crucial
double faults," Djokovic told reporters.
"The week was great. I played enough matches prior to
Wimbledon," said Djokovic who has never won a title on grass and
refused to label himself as one of the favourites for Wimbledon,
which starts on June 22.
"I have not done a great job there last year, losing in the
second round. So I would not rate myself as a favourite for
Wimbledon."
(Editing by Clare Fallon; To query or comment on this story
email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)