SportsLine wire reports

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Mark Philippoussis had it easy.

The Australian cruised to a 6-3, 6-2 victory over qualifier Cecil Mamiit in the Sybase Open final Sunday. But it wasn't just his booming serve and calm command that won the $325,000 event.

Philippoussis got a bit of help from Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

Sampras, the top seed and No. 1 player in the world, withdrew from the tournament shortly before Saturday's semifinal against Philippoussis because of a strained tendon above his left ankle.

Sampras was playing in his first tournament after a 10-week layoff. He hurt his leg during his quarterfinal victory over Bernd Karbacher on Friday night.

Earlier in the week, second-seeded Agassi defaulted in his second-round match against Mamiit because of repeated cursing. Agassi, clearly the annual fan favorite at the Sybase, won the indoor event last year by upsetting Sampras.

Those two events helped pave the way for Sunday's somewhat lackluster final, which drew just 8,085 fans.

Philippoussis, the third seed, was his steady self, using his 120 mph-plus serve to overpower Mamiit, who is eight inches shorter at 5-foot-8.

"I pretty much knew what I had to do," Philippoussis said.

MAMIIT, A FORMER NCAA singles champion currently ranked No. 120, came out energized for his first ATP tour final. He flipped his racket in his hands and bounced on his toes, but his enthusiasm and quickness could not overcome his opponent's serve.

Philippoussis, who earned his sixth ATP tour title, earned match point with a 124-mph serve that grazed Mamiit's racket and sailed high into the crowd at the San Jose Arena.

"It's a pretty big serve," Mamiit said.

One of Philippoussis' serves was clocked at 134 mph, a tournament-best. It was one of seven aces he had in the one-hour, 18-minute match. About the only thing to marring his performance was 26 unforced errors.

The 22-year-old said he didn't feel like it the victory was diminished by the loss of Sampras and Agassi.

"I've just learned to worry about yourself. Anything can happen in tennis," he said. "Seeds can drop off, anything can happen."

However, he added that the chance to beat Sampras en route to a final would have been sweet.

"I can't be too disappointed because I won the title," he said. "But I am kind of disappointed because I enjoy playing Pete ... It's important for me to play him whenever I have the opportunity because I can learn from him."

MAMIIT, WHO DEFEATED Michael Chang 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 in Saturday's semifinal, had never gotten past the second round of an ATP tour event before this week. He turned pro after winning the NCAA singles championship in 1996 as a freshman at Southern California.

Philippoussis won his first ATP event of the year. (AP)

With his appearance in the final, Mamiit will break into the top 100 in the tour rankings.

"It's been a great week for me. It's a great start for my career," the native Californian said. "I think I can step up with the players, and I feel I can compete with anyone out there."

Philippoussis, ranked No. 14 in the world, became the first Australian to win the Sybase since Darren Cahill in 1991.

Earlier this year, Philippoussis advanced to the fourth round of the Australian Open, losing in five sets to Thomas Enqvist. Coupled with the Sybase win, Philippoussis said he is confident.

"I know what I can do," he said. "I've got expectations of myself - but I'm not putting pressure on myself."