Philippoussis rains on Moya's parade
SportsLine wire reports
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Mark Philippoussis cranked it up a couple of notches and came out victorious Sunday against newly crowned No. 1 Carlos Moya in the final of the Newsweek Champions Cup.
The fourth-seeded Moya charged to a first-set advantage, breaking Philippoussis in the last game of the first set. But Philippoussis was in control most of the way thereafter,
"The key of the match was the third set where the match was very close and I had some breakpoints," Moya said. "But I didn't take any of them."
AFTER MOYA WON THE FOURTH set, Philippoussis put the pressure on and jumped to an early 3-1 lead, held on and broke Moya again for a 5-2 lead and won with his 23rd ace. Moya had six.
"It feels great," Philippoussis said after winning the biggest title of his career, and $361,000 while jumping 16th to 11th. "It's extra special knowing that Carlos was No. 1 in the world. I played some great tennis today."
Philippoussis' run for the title started with a two tiebreaker wins over Bohdan Ulihrach of the Czech Republic, followed by an upset of third-seed Alex Corretja of Spain, a victory against Marat Safin of Russia in the quarterfinals and a semifinals victory win over 11th-seeded Todd Martin.
Moya rolled over his early opponents, eighth-seed Richard Krajicek in the second round, then Xavier Malisse of Belgium, followed by 12th-seed Karol Kucera of Slovakia in the quarterfinals. Then he advanced to the finals, beating Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil in the semifinals.
WITH THAT VICTORY, MOYA EARNED the points to reach the top spot in the rankings, replacing Pete Sampras and making history as the first Spaniard to be No. 1.
Serena Williams, 17, got the biggest paycheck of her young career when she defeated two-time champion Steffi Graf, in the Evert Cup final, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5.
The event was played concurrently with the men's tournament. Williams earned $200,000 and her second title in a week. She won in Paris, defeating Amelie Mauresmo, the Australian Open finalist.
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| Mark Philippoussis breaks Carlos Moya twice in fifth set to win Champions Cup.(AP) |
Williams upset No. 2 seed Lindsay Davenport in the second round, No. 6 Mary Pierce in the quarterfinals and No. 12 Sandrine Testud in the semis.
Top seed and defending champion Martina Hingis was eliminated by unseeded Chanda Rubin in the quarterfinals. Rubin was ousted by Graf in the semis. Graf reached the semis by defeating No. 4 seed Jana Novotna, the current Wimbledon champion, in the quarterfinals.
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