Kohlschreiber buoyed for French Open by Duesseldorf title

Germany's Philipp Kohlschreiber says he will take plenty of confidence into the French Open after claiming the clay-court ATP Duesseldorf title in Saturday's final. The 30-year-old top-seed cruised to a 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Croatia's Ivo Karlovic, 35, to claim the fifth title of his career and his fourth in Germany. Kohlschreiber, ranked 29th in the world, needed just 72 minutes to claim victory against the giant Croat, who is 6ft 11in (2.11m) tall, having won on clay at Munich in 2007 and 2012 and on grass at Halle in 2011. "I'll be taking (ATP) points, self-confidence and a sense of fun to Paris, it's simply a great feeling," said Kohlschreiber. "It is the best feeling to win a tournament, it's not an opportunity that comes along very often." Kohlschreiber, seeded 28th for Roland Garros, is enjoying a good run of form having taken the first set off Novak Djokovic in his last 16 defeat to the world number two at the Rome Masters last week. At the French Open, he will take on Spain's Pere Riba, ranked 85th in the world, in the opening round on Monday or Tuesday. Source: AFP