ROME -- Thomas Muster has won every clay-court tournament he's played in this year. Now it's time to see if he can finally win the most important one: the French Open.
Muster established himself as a strong favorite for the French by beating Sergi Bruguera 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3, in Sunday's rain-delayed final of the Italian Open, extending his clay-court winning streak to 28 matches.
It was the Austrian's fifth clay-court title of the year, the 27th of his career and his 21st consecutive victory in clay-court finals dating back to 1990.
Bruguera, winner of the French Open the past two years, said Muster -- who should move up this week from No. 10 in the ATP Tour rankings -- is clearly the No. 1 clay-court player heading into Paris.
"This year, Muster is the best on clay," the Spaniard said. "He's won all the tournaments. He's had a long undefeated streak."
Muster, whose best French Open showing was a semifinal appearance in 1990, was less equivocal about his No. 1 clay-court status.
"Maybe right now I am," he said. "But anyone who wins the French Open twice in a row is the No. 1 on clay. I know I'm playing really well now, but anything can happen at the French Open."
The French Open, the only Grand Slam played on clay, starts next Monday.
Apart from Bruguera, one of Muster's main rivals figures to be Andre Agassi, the world's top-ranked player who skipped the Italian Open this year. Muster beat Agassi in the second round of the French last year.
Muster's second Italian Open title -- he also won in 1990 -- follows victories this year at Mexico City, Estoril, Barcelona and Monte Carlo.
He is just three victories short of Mats Wilander's 31-match winning streak on clay, set in 1982-83. On all surfaces, including carpet and hard court, Muster has won his last 22 matches, the longest streak on the tour this year.
Much of Muster's success is due to his strength, fitness and fighting spirit.
The match was delayed nearly four hours by rain and did not start until shortly before 6 p.m. Most of the match was played under floodlights in damp, chilly conditions.
The Spaniard appeared in command after winning the first set and breaking for a 4-3 lead in the second.
But Muster turned the match around by breaking back in the next game and prevailing in the tiebreaker.
"When I won the tiebreaker in the second set, I knew I could win it then," he said. "It took all my guts and my strength to keep it together."
Muster seemed to get stronger as the 2-hour, 50-minute match wore on.
After Muster won the third set handily and went up 2-0 in the fourth, Bruguera rallied to 3-3. But the match was virtually decided when Muster ripped a forehand return winner to break for a 4-3 lead. He won the next two games to close out the match, which ended with Bruguera hitting a backhand wide.
"At the end, he was a bit more powerful," Bruguera said.
The victory was worth $277,000 for Muster. Bruguera received $146,000.
n
Top seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario took the German Open women's tennis title in Berlin on Sunday, decisively beating Bulgaria's Magdalena Maleeva 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and five minutes.
Spain's Sanchez Vicario won the $806,000 Berlin tournament for the first time, inheriting the title from Germany's Steffi Graf who had to drop out this year with flu.
Sanchez Vicario, 23, had reached the final twice before, in 1991 and 1992, but was beaten each time in three sets by Graf, an eight-time German Open champion.
Sanchez Vicario's victory, in front of 5,700 spectators, is her second this year after the Spanish Open in her home town of Barcelona and is worth $148,500. Maleeva gets $59,500.
n
Australian doubles specialist Todd Woodbridge won his first career singles event in Coral Springs, Florida, by beating Canadian Greg Rudeski, 6-4, 6-2.
In a Champions' Tour senior event, Jimmy Connors beat John McEnroe 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in The Challenge championship at the Beach and Tennis Club in Pebble Beach, California.
(AP, Reuters)
Muster established himself as a strong favorite for the French by beating Sergi Bruguera 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, 6-3, in Sunday's rain-delayed final of the Italian Open, extending his clay-court winning streak to 28 matches.
It was the Austrian's fifth clay-court title of the year, the 27th of his career and his 21st consecutive victory in clay-court finals dating back to 1990.
Bruguera, winner of the French Open the past two years, said Muster -- who should move up this week from No. 10 in the ATP Tour rankings -- is clearly the No. 1 clay-court player heading into Paris.
"This year, Muster is the best on clay," the Spaniard said. "He's won all the tournaments. He's had a long undefeated streak."
Muster, whose best French Open showing was a semifinal appearance in 1990, was less equivocal about his No. 1 clay-court status.
"Maybe right now I am," he said. "But anyone who wins the French Open twice in a row is the No. 1 on clay. I know I'm playing really well now, but anything can happen at the French Open."
The French Open, the only Grand Slam played on clay, starts next Monday.
Apart from Bruguera, one of Muster's main rivals figures to be Andre Agassi, the world's top-ranked player who skipped the Italian Open this year. Muster beat Agassi in the second round of the French last year.
Muster's second Italian Open title -- he also won in 1990 -- follows victories this year at Mexico City, Estoril, Barcelona and Monte Carlo.
He is just three victories short of Mats Wilander's 31-match winning streak on clay, set in 1982-83. On all surfaces, including carpet and hard court, Muster has won his last 22 matches, the longest streak on the tour this year.
Much of Muster's success is due to his strength, fitness and fighting spirit.
The match was delayed nearly four hours by rain and did not start until shortly before 6 p.m. Most of the match was played under floodlights in damp, chilly conditions.
The Spaniard appeared in command after winning the first set and breaking for a 4-3 lead in the second.
But Muster turned the match around by breaking back in the next game and prevailing in the tiebreaker.
"When I won the tiebreaker in the second set, I knew I could win it then," he said. "It took all my guts and my strength to keep it together."
Muster seemed to get stronger as the 2-hour, 50-minute match wore on.
After Muster won the third set handily and went up 2-0 in the fourth, Bruguera rallied to 3-3. But the match was virtually decided when Muster ripped a forehand return winner to break for a 4-3 lead. He won the next two games to close out the match, which ended with Bruguera hitting a backhand wide.
"At the end, he was a bit more powerful," Bruguera said.
The victory was worth $277,000 for Muster. Bruguera received $146,000.
n
Top seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario took the German Open women's tennis title in Berlin on Sunday, decisively beating Bulgaria's Magdalena Maleeva 6-4, 6-1 in an hour and five minutes.
Spain's Sanchez Vicario won the $806,000 Berlin tournament for the first time, inheriting the title from Germany's Steffi Graf who had to drop out this year with flu.
Sanchez Vicario, 23, had reached the final twice before, in 1991 and 1992, but was beaten each time in three sets by Graf, an eight-time German Open champion.
Sanchez Vicario's victory, in front of 5,700 spectators, is her second this year after the Spanish Open in her home town of Barcelona and is worth $148,500. Maleeva gets $59,500.
n
Australian doubles specialist Todd Woodbridge won his first career singles event in Coral Springs, Florida, by beating Canadian Greg Rudeski, 6-4, 6-2.
In a Champions' Tour senior event, Jimmy Connors beat John McEnroe 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 in The Challenge championship at the Beach and Tennis Club in Pebble Beach, California.
(AP, Reuters)