Tennis: Open final turns out neat ending

By Foster Niumata

It all ended up nice and neat.

When rock-jawed Sjeng Schalken - after ruining Brett Steven's title bid - beat boy-wonder Tommy Haas 6-4 6-4 in a boiling, packed Stanley St on Saturday, the rangy Dutchman made sure the Heineken Open turned out all right.

Destiny was at work. The new champion, still affected by his little brother's death from leukemia three years ago to the day, triumphed to honour Tuur, who was 15 and Sjeng's biggest fan.

"I would like to give the victory for him," Sjeng said.

Haas, very superstitious, accepted he was fated to be the fall guy after learning of Schalken's family loss. When Haas was also runner-up in his previous two finals, in Lyon, the winners earned something extra-special, too.

In 1997, it was veteran Fabrice Santoro's first title in four finals. In 1998, Alex Corretja became the first Spaniard to win an indoor title in 22 years.

"I didn't have a chance today," Haas half-kidded. "Hopefully next time I'm in the final, I play somebody who has nothing special happen."

Perfection was preserved. Schalken won his fourth title in as many finals, removing creeping doubts after going 18 months without one. Haas suffered his third loss in as many finals, and on reflection was happy to have got there.

The rain which put the Open behind schedule on Thursday and threatened to take it into Sunday, vanished, and how convenient that in the first year that Heineken pay for naming rights, a Dutchman should triumph.

"Schalken, Heineken, it all sounds the same," Haas joked.

Actually, 22-year-old Schalken is as transparent as his country's renowned brew.
He arrived for the second time in Auckland four days before the Open with no coach, no girlfriend, no countrymen and no expectations.

His coach went to Sydney to guide former world doubles No 1 Paul Haarhuis, who reached the doubles final, and Schalken did not consider asking him to fly over in case that was bad karma.

Besides, he did not even have his coach's phone number but got a fax from him saying "great effort, keep going."

Schalken, unmissable at 1.90m, dined alone every night, sticking with the same Japanese restaurant and same meal of sushi and prawns.

He was not fancy on court either, wearing all white, putting colour only in his cannon-like game.

No 1 for the Open in first and second serves won, service games won and returns of serve, unseeded Schalken, ranked 74th in the world and headed back into the top-50, knocked off No 46 Vince Spadea, No 47 Daniel Vacek, No 64 Andrei Pavel, Steven and No 35 Haas without dropping a set.

He came from Doha, where he took only five games off eventual runner-up Tim Henman, figured his footwork needed the most work and honed it in practice with Haas before the Open.

He was as surprised to win in Auckland as he was with his other titles.
At Boston in 1997, he was about to go home with an injured knee, but was told to give that event a chance, took painkillers and beat Marcelo Rios in the final.

For Jakarta in 1996 and Valencia in 1995, when he was the youngest winner on the tour those years, he came out of challengers and stunned everyone.

"I was very young, I didn't know what I was doing right," Schalken said. "But now I know what my game is."

It's nice and neat.

Pictured: Sjeng Schalken winning the Heineken Open in Auckland. HERALD PICTURE / BRETT PHIBBS