Homecoming

Kafelnikov Wins Third Straight Russian Open Kremlin Cup Crown
 

MOSCOW (AP) -- Defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov bested Byron Black of Zimbabwe 7-6 (7-2), 6-2, 6-4 Sunday to complete a rare three-peat, capturing his third consecutive title and $1 million at the Russian Open Kremlin Cup. 

One game down early in the first set, the top-seeded Kafelnikov broke back to level 5-5 and dominated the rest of the match. 

Black, playing serve-and-volley, double faulted three times in the 12th game and saved two set-points on a deuce, only to fall on a tiebreaker. 

"I played good tennis this week, but Yevgeny has played too well for me," said Black, ranked No. 12 in the world. 

Supported by a sellout 25,000 crowd at Olympiysky Stadium, Kafelnikov breezed through the second set without giving Black a point to break, and closed the match in the third set with an ace. 

Kafelnikov eliminated the rejuvinated Australian Jason Stoltenberg in the semifinals while Black routed Escude, who upset current world number one Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals. 

"It would be a sin on my behalf not to win the Kremlin Cup for the third time with such support," the Russian said.  "No one can ever defeat me here at the Russian Open.  Not even Tim Henman. Probably in Uzbekistan but never on Moscow soil." 

Kafelnikov, 24, captured the Australian Open and jumped to the top position in the rankings to become the first Russian player to ever hold the No. 1 ranking. 

Black, considered as the best tennis player ever to emerge from the the African continent, will get $810,000 in prize money.