0
STOCKHOLM, Oct 31: Sweden's Thomas Johansson overcame the odds to beat top seed Andre Agassi 3-6 6-3 7-6 in a thriller on Sunday to take his first title since the 2002 Australian Open.
After losing the first set the 29-year-old broke Agassi twice in the next for a 4-0 lead. Agassi grabbed a break back before Johansson served out to take the match into a final set.
By now the Swede was on a roll and he broke the Las Vegan's opening service game. He went on to hold serve until 4-3, when a couple of closes calls helped Agassi break back to 4-4.
Agassi had another close call in his favour in the next game but nothing seemed to demoralise Johansson and the two players held serve until the tiebreak.
A wide forehand by Agassi gave Johansson a break for 3-1 in the tiebreak and he followed up with a superb forehand return to take a 4-1 lead.
Agassi broke back to 4-3 but then hit a backhand too long giving Johnasson a 5-3 lead before another good return by the Swede made it 6-3.
Agassi saved the first match point with a passing shot but Johansson made no mistake on his second as he hammered an ace past the American to make it 7-4 and seal the win.
It was the Swede's first victory over the Las Vegan after losing all six previous meetings, his eighth tournament win and third apearance in a Stockholm Open final. He won the tournament in 2000 and reached the final in 1998.
ONE-SIDED FINAL
VIENNA: France's deposed world number one Amelie Mauresmo sauntered to a 14th career WTA success here on Sunday as she thrashed Elena Bovina of Russia 6-2, 6-0 in the 585,000 dollars tournament.
The 25-year-old took just over an hour to see off Bovina and admitted she had expected a tougher battle against her 21-year-old opponent, ranked 19th in the world.
"I came here to win but I was expecting a more difficult clash in the final as our previous two meetings went to three sets," said Mauresmo, who has beaten Bovina in all their three meetings.
Despite her strong service, Bovina was let down throughout the final by her unforced errors which were punished relentlessly by the powerfully built Mauresmo.
Victory for Mauresmo gave her her fourth title of the year after winning at Berlin, Rome and Montreal, though a Grand Slam title is still missing from her trophy cabinet.
TITLE FOR MOLIK
LUXEMBOURG: Australia's Alicia Molik, the second seed, stormed to her second title in a week on Sunday with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Russian Dinara Safina at the $225,000 WTA tournament.
The 23-year-old from Melbourne, who clinched the Zurich title last weekend with a victory over Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova, secured her third title of the year and fourth of her career against 18-year-old Safina, the sister of Russian men's star Marat Safin.
The Olympic bronze medallist got off to a slow start but gained confidence following a string of unforced errors from the Russian, breaking in the eighth game before serving out for the first set.
Molik, ranked 14th in the world, broke in the sixth game of the second set, and was never really bothered by her teenage opponent as she secured her second win in as many meetings with Safina.
She won at Zurich and Stockholm this year after winning her first title in Hobart in 2003.
YOUZHNY WINS FINAL
ST PETERSBURG: Russia's Mikhail Youzhny trounced Slovakia's Karol Beck 6-2 6-2 in the St Petersburg Open final on Sunday to claim his first title of the year.
Fourth-seeded Youzhny, Russia's 2002 Davis Cup hero, delighted a large crowd at the 11,000-seat St Petersburg Sports Palace as he dominated the unseeded Slovak right from the start.
The Russian was far more consistent from the baseline and with his serves, breaking Beck twice in each set to seize control of the match. He wrapped up the contest in 62 minutes with an emphatic ace for his second ATP title.
Youzhny's win made amends for his 2002 final defeat here by France's Sebastien Grosjean and he pocketed $142,000 for his efforts.- Agencies
