DUBAI, Feb 28: Roger Federer beat Croatia's Ivan Ljubicic 6-1 6-7 6-3 on Sunday to win his third consecutive Dubai Open title. Sunday's title showdown was a replay of the final the pair played in Rotterdam last week , which Federer won in a third-set tiebreak.

But in Dubai it looked as if the top seed would this time sweep to victory in under an hour as he dominated the opening set and sped to a 3-1 lead in the second before eighth seed Ljubicic began to offer any real competition.

WTA FINAL RESULT

LONDON: Final result in the $180,000 Abierto Mexicano WTA tennis tournament in Acapulco, Mexico played on Sunday: Flavia Pennetta (Italy) bt Ludmila Cervanova (Slovakia) 3-6 7-5 6-3.

CLASSIC FINAL RESULT

RALEIGH: Final results from the $380,000 Scottsdale ATP tournament at Scottsdale, Arizona, on Sunday:

Wayne Arthurs (Australia) bt Mario Ancic (Croatia) 7-5 6-3. -Agencies