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MEMPHIS (Tennessee), Feb 26: Tommy Haas knew he had been playing well this year. Winning a tournament without facing one break point? That surprised even himself.
He beat Andy Roddick 6-3, 6-2 on Sunday to retain his title in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships. The German completed a week in which he didn't face a break point in 47 games.
Haas won his sixth straight final and 11th title overall. He also won in Memphis in 1999 and is only the second three-time winner of this event. Jimmy Connors, now Roddick's coach, won in 1978, 1979, 1983 and 1984.
Roddick, trying to win his second Memphis title, didn't come close to breaking serve. Haas gave up only seven points off his serve in the final, and two of those were double-faults.The German won in 61 minutes, and that might have helped his travel plans. He needed to fly to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for his Tuesday match in Dubai.
Haas, ranked No. 9 entering the tournament, has not lost a final since Andre Agassi beat him in Rome in May 2002. This is the first time Haas has won titles in consecutive seasons, improving his record in finals to 11-9.
YOUZHNY STUNS LJUBICIC
ROTTERDAM: Russian Mikhail Youzhny stunned third seed Ivan Ljubicic 6-2, 6-4 on Sunday to end his six-match losing streak against the Croatian on the way to victory in the final of the Rotterdam Open.
The unseeded Youzhny, a US Open semi-finalist last autumn, broke twice in the opening set and kept up the pressure against indoor ace Ljubicic to earn the third ATP trophy his career.Youzhny lifted his last title more than two years ago indoors at St Petersburg. Ljubicic, his game off the boil, lost only his fifth match of the season against 14 victories.
MAIDEN WIN FOR MONACO
BUENOS AIRES: Argentine Juan Monaco won his first ATP title by trouncing Alessio Di Mauro of Italy 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday, delighting a capacity crowd on the dusty outdoor clay at the Copa Telmex.
The 22-year-old Monaco, a fifth-year pro whose only other final appearance came at Casablanca in 2005, finished off the victory in 63 minutes.—Agencies
