TORONTO, Aug 5: Unseeded Guillermo Canas swept past Andy Roddick 6-4, 7-5 Sunday to capture the $2.95 million Canada Masters and cap off a brilliant week of tennis.

Canas’s first Masters Series title was well-deserved as he bulldozed his way past several top players — including world number two Marat Safin, number three Tommy Haas, fifth-ranked Yevgeny Kafelnikov and world number 10 Roger Federer — on his way to the title.

Even more impressive, the 24-year-old, who becomes the first Argentine since Guillermo Vilas in 1976 to win in Canada, dropped just one set in his six matches.

When Canas broke Roddick to surge in front 5-4 in the opening set, it marked only the third time in six matches that the 12th seeded American had surrendered his serve.

The tenacious Canas, who has been described as a South American version of Australia’s feisty world number one Lleyton Hewitt, then consolidated the break with a thundering service winner.

While Roddick’s big serve was working for him, laying down six aces in the opening set, his efforts from the service line were offset by two double faults and 12 unforced errors compared to one by his Argentine opponent.

Canas carried the momentum into the second set breaking Roddick at the first opportunity but with the backing of the soldout crowd, the American teenager immediately answered with a break of his own.

With the set heading towards a tiebreak, Canas, a nervous 2-6 in career finals, claimed the decisive break to go in front 6-5 when Roddick slammed an easy backhand volley into the net.

AWESOME VENUS

SAN DIEGO (California): Top seed Venus Williams became the first woman to win three straight titles at the $750,000 Acura Classic title when she thrashed Jelena Dokic 6-2, 6-2 in the final Sunday.

On the morning of the final, Dokic developed a stomach virus and was unable to display the form that helped her defeat second seed Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals and Russia’s Anna Kournikova in the semis.—Reuters

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