Second-seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov won his fourth consecutive ATP Kremlin Cup title yesterday in a tough final against unseeded German David Prinosil in Moscow's Olympic tennis stadium.
Home favourite Kafelnikov, ranked fifth in the world, achieved his second title of the year after winning gold at the Sydney Olympics when he defeated Prinosil 6-2, 7-5 before a crowd of 16,500.
The 26-year-old Kafelnikov broke his rival twice in the opening set despite tough opposition to win it in 28 minutes. Prinosil, 27, broke early in the second but his Russian opponent bounced back to level the score at 2-2.
Prinosil, trailing 4-2 later in the second, fought tooth and nail to level the scores at 4-4 before Kafelnikov made the deciding break in the 11th game to win the set and his 55th match of the year after 76 minutes on court.
The Russian won his 22nd career title under the watchful gaze of Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, earning US$137,000 in prize money and a silver trophy by Cartier.
During the award ceremony Kafelnikov praised the public for their support. 'It's you who made this tournament happen for 11 years, not me,' Kafelnikov told the crowd. I would like to thank you all for it.