BEIJING, Sept 19: Russian Marat Safin ended a 22-month title drought with a 7-6, 7-5 victory over compatriot Mikhail Youzhny in the final of the China Open on Sunday.
The former world number one, who did not drop a set in Beijing, needed all his experience to claim his first title since winning in Paris in November 2002.
Fifth seed Safin recovered from an early break to win the first-set tiebreak 7-4 thanks to four thundering aces. The second set went with serve until Safin broke through in the 11th game, Youzhny's nerve crumbling as he double-faulted on break point.
Safin, runner-up at the Australian Open and in Estoril this year, converted his first match point with another huge serve after one hour 37 minutes. He earned $69,200 for his 12th career victory and edged above Andre Agassi into eighth in the 2004 ATP Champions Race.
The top eight players qualify for the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup in Houston. Youzhny had beaten three seeded players, Rainer Schuettler, Dominik Hrbaty and Paradorn Srichaphan on his way to the final of the inaugural $500,000 tournament. The 22-year-old, who was bidding for his second career title, earned $40,700 for reaching his third final.
KUZNETSOVA WINS
BALI: Svetlana Kuznetsova followed up her US Open triumph last week by defeating Germany's Marlene Weingartner in the final of the Wismilak International on Sunday.
The Russian's 6-1, 6-4 victory against an unseeded opponent earned her the fifth singles title of her career, and her third this year after she won in Eastbourne and New York.
The second-seeded Russian began slowly, as she had all week, but a nervous Weingartner was playing in her first career final and was unable to take advantage. The German won more points on Kuznetsova's serve than she did on her own in the first set, but the world number six was able to stave off several break point opportunities.
Weingartner rallied well and did enough to keep the contest interesting, especially in the second set when she produced some spectacular winners. She earned a break point to lead 4-2 but Kuznetsova saved that with a fierce backhand volley.
It was Kuznetsova who claimed the only break of the second set, for 4-3, when Weingartner netted a weak double-handed backhand. The Russian duly closed out the match. "It was tough to go all the way through after coming from the US Open," said Kuznetsova.
ACASUSO TRIUMPHS
BUCHAREST: Unseeded Argentine Jose Acasuso trounced fourth seed Igor Andreev 6-3, 6-0 to win the Romanian Open on Sunday - his second career title. Acasuso made short work of the Russian who he also beat on his way to the semifinal last year.
"I had a wonderful week in Bucharest and the last day was the best," said Acasuso, who will climb from his world ranking of 95. "Everything I tried today worked." -Reuters
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