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| January 12, 2003 | Sunday | Ziqa'ad 8, 1423 |
Qualifier Lee and Clijsters crowned Sydney champions
SYDNEY, Jan 11: South Korean qualifier Lee-Hyung-taik stunned world number four Juan Carlos Ferrero 4-6 7-6 7-6 on Saturday to win the men’s singles final at the Sydney International, the last big warm-up event for next week’s Australian Open.
In one of the biggest upsets ever seen in the tournament, which began in 1885 as the New South Wales Open, the little-known Korean survived a match point to capture his first title since turning professional in 1995.
Belgium’s Kim Clijsters won the women’s crown, beating former world number one Lindsay Davenport 6-4 6-3 in the final.
Second Clijsters, one of the favourites for the Australian Open, captured her 11th singles title and her first in Sydney with her 19th win from her past 20 matches.
The son of a Korean potato farmer, Lee had to play three qualifying matches within 48 hours of arriving in Australia just to qualify for the tournament.
His gruelling schedule looked to have finally caught up with him when Ferrero snatched the first set but the 27-year-old clawed his way back to win two tiebreakers and save a match point in the final set.
Lee had squandered two match points to lose to the Spaniard in their only previous meeting — at the same venue during the Sydney Olympics — but this time held his nerve to avenge that defeat.
In a seesawing match lasting more than 2 1/2 hours, both players had their chances to win and at times both looked like losing.
Ferrero broke Lee’s opening service game to take the first set in 39 minutes, but dropped serve for the only time in the match at the start of the second.
Lee, playing in only his second ATP Tour final, led 5-2 in the second and served for the set at 5-3 before a string of errors allowed Ferrero to break back.
Ferrero, 22, saved seven set points at various stages of the second set to level the tiebreaker at 6-6 only to concede the set two points later when he sent a forehand sailing over the baseline after Lee had aced him.
The French Open finalist seemed to have regained control when he broke Lee’s first service game of the deciding set only to hand the break back with a double-fault in the fifth game.
Ferrero held a match point on Lee’s serve in the 12th game but the Korean saved it to force the tiebreaker, which he eventually won 7-4, throwing his arms up in triumph.
Final results:
Women’s singles: Kim Clijsters bt Lindsay Davenport 6-4 6-3
Men’s singles: Lee Hyung-taik bt Juan Carlos Ferrero 4-6 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4)
Men’s doubles: Paul Hanley/Nathan Healey bt Mahesh Bhupathi /Joshu Eagle 7-6 (7-3) 6-4
AUCKLAND: Fourth seeded Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten battled his way past two Argentines on Saturday to set up an Auckland Open final against Slovak Dominik Hrbaty, who himself beat two Spaniards.
Both had to play their quarterfinal and semifinal matches on Saturday after much of the programme was washed out by rain and the first of Kuerten’s two matches was a torrid encounter against seventh seed Guillermo Coria, which he won 7-5 4-6 6-2.
Coria forged into a 5-2 lead in the first set, but was overhauled 7-5 by the Brazilian. The Argentine hit back in the second set but Kuerten fought back to ease through the final set 6-2.
Kuerten’s semi was an easier affair as he cruised to a 6-3 6-3 victory over Mariano Zabaleta.
Hrbaty, who won the tournament two years ago, had an easier path to the final.
He beat David Ferrer in the morning quarterfinal 7-5 6-3 and then accounted for Felix Mantilla 6-2 6-2 to progress to the final.
Mantilla had beaten top seed Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic in an exhausting morning quarterfinal, triumphing 6-7 6-2 7-6.
The biggest win of the quarterfinals was Zabaleta’s 6-1 6-1 demolition of Austria’s Stefan Koubek who, like Kuerten, had the misfortune to have his second-round match delayed by three rain breaks on Thursday and Friday.
Results:
Quarterfinals: Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) beat Guillermo Coria (Argentina) 7-5 4-6 6-2; Felix Mantilla (Spain) beat Jiri Novak (Czech Republic) 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 7-6 (7-3); Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat David Ferrer (Spain) 7-5 6-3; Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) beat Stefan Koubek (Austria) 6-2 6-1.
Semifinals: -Gustavo Kuerten (Brazil) beat Mariano Zabaleta (Argentina) 6-3 6-3; Dominik Hrbaty (Slovakia) beat Felix Mantilla (Spain) 6-2 6-2.—Reuters
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