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.