Tennis: Ancic shows frustration

Nieminen's first ATP tournament win. Picture / Getty Images

The frustration Mario Ancic showed when he kicked his bag and threw his racket after losing the first set of Saturday's singles final in just 26 minutes told the story.

Unable to fluster, let alone match, super-cool Finn Jarkko Nieminen, Ancic was up against it. And he also had to cope with playing a left-hander.

Pre-match predictions of an easy straight sets Heineken Open win for the fifth-seeded Croatian evaporated soon and there was no way back as Nieminen closed it out 6-2, 6-2 in a minute over an hour - a huge improvement on two earlier appearances at the ASB Tennis Centre when he lost in the first round.

Seventh seed Nieminen, playing his fifth final and chasing a first ATP title, gave Ancic nothing. But he had, at least, beaten the Croatian in their only previous tour clash.

After a 45-minute rain delay, the much-anticipated finale to an outstanding week of tennis began pretty much as expected, although Ancic, again cheered by a large contingent of supporters, did need 11 serves to take the first game, winning consecutive points for the only time at deuce.

The first chink came in the third game when Nieminen broke Ancic. That one break became two in the seventh game, the set then a formality.

The second set followed much the same pattern. Ancic had a chance in the fourth game when he forced the Finn to 22 serves but could not deliver the killer blow. Grateful to hold for 2-2, Nieminen delivered his own to love for 3-2 in the next game and simply cruised home, breaking Ancic for the fourth time in the match in the seventh game.

Ancic, with a mounting unforced error count, tried to mix things up by going to the net. But it did not work.

Nieminen claimed the Sovereign Singles crown with his fourth win without dropping a set. Only once, in Friday's epic semifinal against 'pocket rocket' sixth seed Olivier Rochus, was he taken to a third set. Amazingly, that was the second of only two matches to go past a second set of the 31 played during the week.

To bounce back as he did was testimony to Nieminen's outstanding fitness and skill.

"It was a really tough day for me to come out and play against Mario, who has been playing great all week," said the triumphant Nieminen.

"I was a little bit lucky he was not playing that well in this match. This tournament will always have a special meaning for me," he said.

"I will come back next year."

That might not be such a good call. Defending your title in Auckland is not easy. Just ask Open top seed and defending champion Fernando Gonzalez. Asked later what went wrong, Ancic, replied simply. "Nothing really worked. It is very tough with an opponent who did not miss. I made a lot of errors. Hopefully, days like this will be rare.

"It's not the result I wanted but I'm happy with the way I played during the tournament. I can take the positives into Melbourne.

"I had a really, nice pleasant, relaxed week. I want to thank the Croatians," said Ancic. "They were cheering to the last point. And even after. The stadium was packed from the first day. Unbelievable."

But the day belonged to Nieminen and those Finns half a world away who dragged themselves out of bed to share the special moment as one of their own won for the first time on the demanding circuit.

"I was surprised how easy it was. All the time I was expecting Mario to come back," said Nieminen.

He did not allow that, taking a risk-free option in keeping his foot firmly on Ancic's throat and engaging him, as much as possible, in a baseline battle.

"It feels so great. Ten times I have been in [ATP] semifinals and four times in finals before today. I felt my game was good enough to win." It was. "This was a big thing for me and for my country." And the Heineken Open crowd, who had again been treated to another outstanding week of tennis.