An unseeded player has won the 2011 Legg Mason Tennis Classic championship. Radek Stepanek, who sat just outside the top 50 in the ATP rankings prior to this week, completed a surprising run through the draw, upsetting top seed Gael Monfils, 6-4 6-4, to take the ATP Washington title.
Stepanek was a heavy underdog to Monfils entering the match, but looked like the much better player in Sunday's championship. He broke Monfils' serve early in both sets and was able to hold on all his service games, despite Monfils' returning ability. This was the first title for Stepanek since 2009.
Stepanek advanced through the draw by defeating No. 5 seed Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals, then ending upstart American Donald Young's run in the semifinals. He becomes the second straight unseeded player to win in D.C., joining David Nalbandian last year.
For more on the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, visit SB Nation's tennis page.