The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Johansson triumphs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 10, 2005

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Sport - Tennis

Johansson triumphs

ADELAIDE, JAN. 9. Second-seeded Joachim Johansson of Sweden won his second career title on Sunday with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Taylor Dent at the Australian men's hardcourt tennis championships.

His first tournament win was at Memphis in 2004, a breakthrough year in which he also made the semifinals of the U.S. Open and moved from 113th in the rankings to No. 11.

``I think I've got to improve my serve if I'm going to go all the way in Melbourne,'' he said.

Dent said he kept hoping for a lapse in Johansson's form, which never came.

``I kept telling myself, `just make him play, make him play, he might give you a game,' but he wasn't missing any balls,'' Dent said.

Johansson, 22, is the boyfriend of Jaslyn Hewitt, Lleyton Hewitt's sister. Johansson spent several weeks leading up to the tournament in Adelaide, with Lleyton Hewitt as a practice partner.

Dechy advances

In a first round women's match at the Sydney International on Sunday, Nathalie Dechy of France beat American Lisa Raymond 7-5, 6-3. It was the only main draw men's or women's singles match played on Sunday.

The results:

At Adelaide (Australian men's hardcourt championships): Final: Joachim Johansson bt Taylor Dent 7-5, 6-3.

At Sydney (Sydney International): First round: Nathalie Dechy bt Lisa Raymond 7-5, 6-3.

At Canberra (WTA Canberra Classic): First round: Claudine Schaul bt Emilie Loit 7-5, 6-4; Tathiana Garbin bt Anne Kremer 6-2, 6-1; Lindsay Lee-Waters bt Llagostera Vives 7-6(0), 6-1; Marlene Weingartner bt Michaela Pastikova 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.

At Hobart (WTA Hobart International): First round: Iveta Benesova bt Lubomira Kurhajcova 6-1, 6-7(1-7), 6-1; Anabel Medina Garrigues bt Kristina Brandi 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3; Marta Domachowska bt Akiko Morigami 6-2, 7-5; Marta Marrero bt Daniella Dominikovic 6-2, 6-2; Abigail Spears bt Jill Craybas 6-1, 6-3; Kveta Peschke bt Martina Sucha 7-6(5), 6-2. — Agencies

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