18 October 2004	Monday	03 Ramazan 1425

MOSCOW, Oct 17: Nikolai Davydenko and French Open champion Anastasia Myskina made it a double Russian celebration here on Sunday when they stormed to victory at the 2.3-million-dollar Kremlin Cup.

Eighth-seeded Davydenko saved three match points on his way to beating Greg Rusedski 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 in 1hr 48 min to record his second win over the 31-year-old Briton in as many meetings.

Earlier, Myskina successfully defended the women's title beating compatriot Elena Dementieva 7-5, 6-0.

Rusedski, who has been using British TV hypnotist Paul McKenna to help his preparation for tournaments, opened up a comfortable 4-1 lead in the first set with a break in the fourth game to take the opening set in 27 minutes.

In the second, the 23-year-old Davydenko, spurred by the home crowd, hit back to break Rusedski's serve in the second game to eventually pull level, winning the second set also in 27 minutes. In the deciding set the rivals traded breaks early, keeping than their serves until the 11th game, when Davydenko broke again to win the set and the match after surviving three match points in the 10th game.

Davydenko earned 142,000 dollars and a silver trophy, while Rusedski pocketed a 83,600-dollar cheque.

Earlier, reigning champion Myskina defended her title beating fifth-seeded Dementieva in the first all-Russian final here.

Myskina, the third seed, won 7-5, 6-0, in a replay of this year's French Open final to clinch her third title of the year and sixth win over Dementieva in their 10th head-to-head meeting.

Myskina took the opening set in 45 minutes.

In the second set fell apart allowing her opponent to take six games in a row to win the set and the match in 1hr 9min to grab 14th title of the season for Russia. Myskina received a silver trophy and a cheque for 189,000 dollars, while Dementieva pocketed a prize purse of $102,000.

TITLE FOR VAIDISOVA

TASHKENT: Unseeded Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova battled from a set down to win the 140,000-dollar Tashkent Open WTA event beating Virginie Razzano of France on Sunday.

The 15-year-old won her second career title with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-2 win in 1hr 51 min in her first ever meeting with Razzano.

The 21-year-old unheralded Frenchwoman broke twice in the opening set, winning it in 44 minutes, while Vaidisova broke back only once.

In the second the opponents kept their serves until the eighth game, when Czech, who is currently 103rd in the world broke to level the scores at one all after 1hr 24 minutes on court.

Vaidisova started the deciding set with an immediate break. Later she managed to increase her advantage with another break in the fifth game to a commanding 4-1 lead, which she kept through to win the set and the match.

HAEHNEL WIN TITLE

METZ (France): Qualifier Jerome Haehnel, whose claim to fame up to now was dumping Andre Agassi out of the French Open in the first round earlier this year, captured his first title with a 7-6 (11/9), 6-4 defeat of fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet in the ATP tournament on Sunday.-Agencies