Kuerten deepens love affair with Paris

Gustavo Kuerten deepened his love affair with Roland Garros on Sunday by beating Spain's Alex Corretja 6-7 7-5 6-2 6-0 to win a third French Open title.

The Brazilian top seed, champion here in 1997 and 2000, is only the sixth player to complete a hat-trick of singles titles in Paris.

"It is more than all my dreams to become three times a French champion," the "King of Clay" told the French crowd.

"Today has been pretty emotional for me. I was really enjoying it a lot. I see myself as a really blessed guy."

Kuerten drew a love-heart in the red clay with his racket before lying in it and blowing kisses to the crowd.

He climbed into the players' box to hug his coach Larri Passos and mother Alice and pulled on a t-shirt bearing the message 'I love Roland Garros' as a Samba drum beat broke out.

"Guga" was the first player to defend his French crown since Spain's Sergi Bruguera in 1994.

But for a set and a half the tenacious Corretja, seeded 13th and a losing finalist in 1998, had threatened to spoil the party on a court Kuerten considers his own.

The Spaniard broke serve at the first time of asking as Kuerten struggled to find his timing in a swirling wind.

SWIRLING CLAY

Corretja's ground strokes, hit with heavy top spin, held their line better in the gusts. The pair swapped breaks four times in the opening set before it entered a tiebreak after more than an hour of action.

Kuerten unfurled a scorching forehand crosscourt to win a mini-break but Corretja racked up four points in a row to take command.

Five points later the Spaniard snatched the set when Kuerten double-faulted as a sand storm of clay swirled about the court.

The flag poles on top of the 15,000-capacity stadium continued to rattle in the second set but the gangly Kuerten added some consistency to his flamboyant game.

With both players camped deep behind the baseline, the drop shot became an important weapon.

After 54 minutes of the second set Kuerten earned two set points. On the first he missed a point-blank backhand volley when inches from the net, but on the second Corretja netted a forehand and Kuerten roared with delight as he squared the match.

In the third set Kuerten rose to the top of his game.

Boosted by the wind falling, Kuerten opened his shoulders and began to slap forehands around Corretja's side of the court.

INCREASING FEROCITY

Kuerten leaped into a 3-0 lead before Corretja got on the scoreboard and four games later broke again to clinch a two set to one lead.

The fourth set proved little more than a formality as the Brazilian world number one played sparkling tennis. He raced through the first five games in 20 minutes and quickly earned three match points.

He smashed the first into the net, poked a backhand wide on the second and on the third Corretja, who pulled off a series of astonishing shots, retrieved a smash from five metres behind the baseline to save it.

But it was merely delaying the inevitable. Corretja hit a forehand wide to hand Kuerten victory and a cheque for $586,000 in three hours 13 minutes.

The win sees Kuerten join Mats Wilander, Ivan Lendl and Rene Lacoste on three Open titles. Kuerten trails France's Henri Cochet by one title and Bjorn Borg by three at Roland Garros.

"The Centre Court is incredible it is an unbelievable atmosphere," he said. "I really enjoyed playing here all tournament.

"When I come here it seems to be magical."