Australia's Mark Philippoussis fired 31 aces to win his first ATP event since left knee surgery last December as he beat Italy's Davide Sanguinetti 6-3, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 to win the St. Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee.
Second seed Philippoussis overcame losing his first set of the week to capture his ninth career crown and the $120,000 top prize yesterday. It was his second Memphis title having also won here in 1998.
"It's a great feeling to come in here and win," Philippoussis said. "It is a great way to begin the year, and for my confidence and for my knee. I worked really hard for it and it's nice to see it pay off.
The hard-serving 24-year-old Aussie star had struggled despite Sanguinetti suffering with a bad back the Italian injured in a semi-final triumph over Canada's Sebastien Lareau.
"I gave everything I had," Sanguinetti said. "I thought it could be better but it was too tough. I could not really toss the ball on my serve."
Seeking his first ATP title, Sanguinetti was hampered by his back pain early in the match and called for the trainer at 2-5 in the first set. He managed to save three set points in the eighth game and forced Philippoussis to serve out the opening set. AFP