KEY POINTS:
Only elephants would recall a better final than the one delivered yesterday by Philipp Kohlschreiber and Juan Carlos Ferrero.
After a few years of dud, one-sided showdowns, the Stanley Street faithful were treated to a match that would have had no one complaining had it gone to a
third set.
That it didn't was due to the relentless power of Kohlschreiber whose booming ground strokes seemed to find even more pace in the final games of the second set.
The German, ranked 32 in the world coming into the tournament, has a classic one-handed backhand that proved the difference between the two men on the day.
Ferrero, a former world No 1 and Grand Slam winner, scurried and harried all afternoon, showing a pleasing dedication despite having a serious ambition to be a factor this week in the Australian Open.
At one set down he could easily have chucked in the towel and saved his energy for the sapping heat of Melbourne.
But no, he dug in and probably could have forced the third set after earning a break point when he was 5-6 down in the second.
Kohlschreiber looked a little nervy, having served back-to-back double faults. Then he took a moment to have a wee talk with himself to get his game re-focused.
"I was thinking I was a stupid little s**t," said Kohlschreiber.
"But when he hit a shot off the frame of his racket I knew I had a chance to win it."
There was almost a little sadness when Kohlschreiber did finally clinch the match. There was no question that it was a deserved victory for the 24-year-old - the second of his career.
But even after almost two hours of compelling tennis, there was clearly an appetite for more.
Both men had endured tough weeks and the sun was beating down. There was also the Australian Open looming with both men booked on 6.45pm flights.
Yet all of that didn't seem to matter as the ball zipped from end to end, point after point, game after game.
Ferrero lacks a big weapon in his armoury but he barely made an unforced error in the first set. He was making Kohlschreiber work for his points.
Inevitably it came down to a tiebreak where a dubious let call and line call went against Ferrero and broke his concentration.
"I made an ace and then they call a let," he said. "If I had turned around at 4-2 I would have been in a stronger position.
"Anyway, then I miss an easy forehand and he played the important points better than me. It was always going to be important whoever won the first set.
"He was playing so fast with his backhand and he was moving me around. I just didn't have the time and I was maybe a little bit tired."
The defeat was the 16th Ferrero has suffered in ATP tour finals in his career and extended his winning drought that now stretches back to 2003.
"I played well all week and I keep trying. I cannot say anymore than that," was the resigned reaction from the Spaniard.
He said, though, that despite the defeat he's in good spirits heading to Melbourne where he will meet Nicolas Kiefer in the first round.
As for Kohlschreiber, he's been drawn against a qualifier which should give him the opportunity to progress and move towards his goal for the year of finishing in the world's top 20.
"That's definitely one of my goals this year," he said. "I would like to go for this as soon as possible. I will celebrate my win for the next few hours, then try to recover and start again."
