Tauziat beats Yayuk to win Classic title
Tauziat beats Yayuk to win Classic title
BIRMINGHAM, England (Reuter): France's Nathalie Tauziat beat
Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki 2-6 6-2 6-2 to win the DFS Classic at
Edgbaston on Sunday, a year after she was beaten in the 1996
final.
The second seed's win came after her 6-4 6-4 triumph earlier
in the day over Australian Kristine Kunce, who had to qualify for
the event.
That success seemed to take a toll in the final against fourth
seed Basuki when she lost five games in succession in the first
set against the Indonesian.
But Tauziat turned it around in the second set by winning five
games in a row herself for a 5-0 lead.
When she broke Basuki's serve 4-2 in the final set, the
Indonesian had no reply.
Basuki also had a busy day at the rain-delayed event, She had
knocked out top-seeded Rumanian Irina Spirlea 7-6 6-1 in her
semifinal an hour before the final.
Spirlea had in turn ousted Belgium's Dominique Van Roost 6-4
6-4 in a morning quarterfinal.
Grass court
In Halle, Germany, top seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov saved three
match points to beat the Czech Republic's Petr Korda 7-6 6-7 7-6
in the final of the Halle grass court tournament Sunday.
In winning his first grass court tournament, the 23-year-old
Russian avenged a defeat in last year's final to Swede Nicklas
Kulti, while it was Korda's 15th final loss.
Kafelnikov, ranked six in the world, clinched the title with
his first match point after two hours and 18 minutes.
The Russian, who broke his racquet after slamming it into the
ground late in the final tiebreaker, said he was fortunate to win
the tiebreaker-filled match.
"I was lucky at the end to win," Kafelnikov said of his 12th
tournament win. "It has been a long time since I won an ATP
tournament. But this year has started well with this first
tournament win in Halle."
The 1996 French Open champion, who beat local hero Boris
Becker in a semifinal Saturday, was out-served by Korda, hitting
only seven aces compared to his rival's 28.
Korda had to send for an extra pair of shoes from Prague on
Saturday night because he did not expect to reach the final and
had not packed enough tennis shoes.
The Russian won the first set tiebreaker 7-2, but Korda
rallied to take the second 7-5.
The Czech looked certain to win the tiebreaker in the third
set, but Kafelnikov saved three match points before going ahead
for the first time 8-7 and then held serve to win.
Clay court
In Bologna, Italy, Spain's Felix Mantilla recovered from a set
down to beat a tired and heat-stricken Gustavo Kuerten, the
French Open champion, in the final of the Bologna international
clay court tournament Sunday.
Mantilla, the tournament's second seed, ended the Brazilian's
16-match winning streak.
Ranked 16 in the world, Mantilla became the fourth Spaniard to
win the Bologna tournament, triumphing 4-6 6-2 6-1 in sweltering
heat to earn his second ATP title.
A wild card entry to the tournament, Mantilla pounced on a
string of errors by his 20-year-old opponent, who was seeded
eighth.
Kuerten, a hero in Brazil after his surprise win in the French
Open last Sunday, appeared well below his recent form.
Kuerten started well but appeared to wilt in the humid 32
degree Celsius heat, twice summoning the tournament doctor in the
third set. He was given a salt and mineral tablet to combat
dehydration.
Mantilla looked cool and composed as he carefully placed his
shots past the stranded Brazilian.
At 3-0 down in the final set, the crowd generously applauded
the Brazilian, aware he was in trouble. He managed to pull one
game back on his service but again at changeover looked in
trouble as he sat down with an ice-pack on the back of his neck.
Kuerten later recovered enough to partner compatriot Fernando
Meligeni to a 6-2 7-5 doubles final win over Americans Dave
Randall and Jack Waite in cooler conditions.