Mary Pierce rallied from an error-strewn first set to defeat Conchita Martinez in the final of the £300,000 WTA Tour event on Amelia Island, Florida, yesterday. It was third time lucky for fourth-seeded Pierce, who won 67 (8/10) 6-0 6-2 after finishing runner-up in each of the past two years.
Pierce netted a service return to close the seesaw opening set after nearly an hour, but then the French star took charge and won the next eight games, before finally serving out at 5-2 in the third to finish the match.
And in Lisbon the third seed Alberto Berasategui beat former world number one Thomas Muster 3-6 6-1 6-3 in the Estoril Open final, defying strong winds with precision tennis.
The Spaniard appeared to be in trouble early on as he had a bandage adjusted on his left leg at 4-3 in the first set. He said after the match that he was suffering from pain in his leg.
Berasategui played the second and third sets far more aggressively than the first, pummelling his opponent with accurate service returns and some vicious aces.
Sixth seed Muster suffered more from the strong winds, which drove many of his serves out. He played a disastrous game at 5-3 in the third set, missing some easy shots to lose the match.
Berasategui said: "I hit as many shots as I could to his forehand, which he sometimes left wide open."
The Spaniard has now won 14 career singles titles and collected $84,000 in prize money in his first victory at the Estoril Open.
Berasategui, who rose to seventh in the world in 1994 and is now 18th, said he was determined to rejoin the top 10.
Muster, 30, the oldest competitor in the tournament, said Berasategui had outclassed him, but he was pleased to have reached the final. He won Estoril in 1995 and 1996.
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