|
|
|
| January 15, 2006 | Sunday | Zilhaj 14, 1426 |
Roddick downs Haas to lift title
MELBOURNE, Jan 14: World number three Andy Roddick fended off four set points in the second set on his way to defeating Germany’s Tommy Haas 6-3 7-6 in the final of the invitational Kooyong Classic on Saturday.
The victory was the American’s first in the eight-man invitational event, which is one of the traditional warm-up tournaments for the Australian Open starting in Melbourne on Monday.
After taking the first set, the 23-year-old American lost concentration in the second allowing Haas, who had beaten Federer on Wednesday, to jump out to a 5-2 lead and then a 0-40 advantage in the eighth game.
Roddick, however, used his booming serve to save the game and then his powerful forehand in the next to earn a break.
He levelled at 5-5 in the next game and had three break points in the 11th before Haas also scrambled his way back to take a 6-5 lead.
Roddick sent the match into the tiebreak and then jumped out to a 3-0 lead before
Haas fought his way back to 5-5 on a superb running backhand pass.
The American, however, was not to be denied and held his last two service points to win the tiebreak 8-6.
Nieminen’s first title
WELLINGTON: Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen won a first ATP tour title in his fifth final with a 6-2 6-2 victory over Croatian number five seed Mario Ancic at the Auckland Open on Saturday.
Ancic, the world number 21, had been the hot favourite for the title after the 24-year-old Finn had needed almost three hours to beat Olivier Rochus in the semi-finals late on Friday.
Blake wins final
SYDNEY: James Blake served notice he was looming as a major contender for next week’s Australian Open with a 6-2 3-6 7-6 victory over Russian Igor Andreev in the final of the Sydney International on Saturday.
The American clawed his way back from the brink of defeat in scorching on-court temperatures approaching 50 degrees Celsius to capture his fourth career title.
Andreev looked to have victory sewn up when he served for the match at 5-4 in the third set but Blake broke back and won the deciding tiebreak to join his hero Arthur Ashe as the only African-Americans to win the tournament that dates back to 1885.—Agencies
|
|
|
|
