Posted: Sunday November 15, 1998 11:05 AM MOSCOW (AP) -- Defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia beat Goran Ivanisevic in the $1.1 million Kremlin Cup for his third title of the year on Sunday, 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5). With the victory, Kafelnikov secured the eighth and final berth in the ATP Tour World Championship, which will be played November 24-29 in Hanover, Germany. Neither player managed to break in the first set, though Ivanisevic came close on the twelfth. With advantage at deuce, the Croatian dropped set point when he sent an overhand smash into the net. Kafelnikov then fired an ace and held with another powerful serve Ivanisevic couldn't return. In the tie-breaker, Ivanisevic, ranked No. 13 on the ATP tour, sent another ball into the net to go down 6-2, and Kafelnikov finished the set with a backhand cross. The second set saw the capacity crowd of 18,000 grow more raucous as the two players traded breaks on the extremely quick Supreme carpet surface. Kafelnikov broke in the fourth game to go up 3-1, but Ivanisevic quickly broke back. Kafelnikov then broke again, holding his opponent to love to make it 4-2. But Ivanisevic broke back yet again and went on to hold in the next game draw even at 4-4. The two then held into the tie breaker. Finally, world No. 8 Kafelnikov took advantage of a weak Ivanisevic second serve to go up 6-5 and followed with a powerful forehand volley to end the match. Ivanisevic had defeated Kafelnikov in the Kremlin Cup final in 1996, and beat him earlier this year in straight sets. The victory was Kafelnikov's third title of the year. He won at the London Indoor in February and at Halle, Germany, in June. Kafelnikov earned $157,400 and 230 points in the win.
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