Brasília, March 1, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Neither the bad weather nor the steady play of Agustín Calleri, from Argentina, daunted Gustavo Kuerten. Yesterday (29) he finished the set he needed to become two-time winner of the Brazil Open, his 20th career title, and, on top of that, end a drought of clay court victories that had lasted since July, 2001. Guga defeated Calleri in the final match by 3/6, 6/2, 6/3. The match had been interrupted Saturday night, with the Brazilian leading 1/0 in the third set and Calleri serving.
Guga is off to a good start this season. He was runner-up in Viña del Mar, in Chile, made the semi-finals in Auckland, New Zealand, and reached the third round in the Australian Open. Yesterday's win should advance Guga one position in the world ranking, in which he should appear in 16th place today.
This was Guga's 14th clay court title, something that hadn't happened since Stuttgart in 2001. During this period, he gained four trophies, including the 2002 Brazil Open, still disputed on a synthetic surface. The 27-year old tennis player, who has been a professional since 1995, now has an exceptional record of 20 victories in the 29 finals in which he has competed.
In this Sunday's final set, Guga once again introduced a note of drama. He began by breaking his opponent's service and going ahead 3/0. But he allowed a reaction by the Argentinean, who won two games and closed to 3/2. Following the scare, Guga went back to combatting Calleri's service and extended his advantage to 4/2. In the eighth game the Brazilian wasted a match point, but in the ninth he sealed the victory with a short volley that Calleri reached but hit into the net.
"I'm still trembling," the two-time champion confessed. "A victory here is worth a lot. I am very moved and happy to see all these people excited. The fans really helped me a lot," he continued, assigning considerable importance to the fact of once again celebrating a title on his favorite surface, clay, in his own country, to boot. "This tournament means a lot to me. Before it was only the Davis Cup that offered a chance to play at home, but [here] I have the opportunity to play in an important tournament and, better yet, with excellent performances. Four participations and two titles," he exclaimed.
Guga used the occasion to offer the win to his grandmother, Olga, whose birthday is today. He joked and said that his new look - a shaved head - brought him luck and will be maintained. "I really don't have much choice until my hair grows back again."
This information comes from the Brazilian Tennis Confederation. (DAS )
