LONDON: Feliciano Lopez became the oldest Queen’s singles champion aged 37, beating Frenchman Gilles Simon in a thrilling three-set clash on Sunday 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-2).
The Spaniard – the first wildcard to win the key Wimbledon warm-up event since Pete Sampras in 1999 – is the lowest-ranked player to win the title at 113 since 108th-ranked Australian Scott Draper in 1998.
While Lopez has had a tiring week – he still has to play the doubles final with Andy Murray – Simon also played inspired tennis despite all his matches going to three sets.
However, despite levelling the match after Lopez cruised through the first set, the 34-year-old just fell short of becoming the first Frenchman to win the title.
Lopez was the second 37-year-old to win an ATP tournament on Sunday after Roger Federer claimed his record-extending 10th Halle title.