Kuerten back in final, Myskina wins title

Former world number one Gustavo Kuerten reached his first ATP final for 13 months on Saturday after overcoming stubborn resistance to beat unseeded Paraguayan Ramon Delgado 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 at the Brazil Open.

Kuerten, whose last final was in Indianapolis in August last year, faces Guillermo Coria in Sunday's final after the unseeded Argentine beat Cecil Mamit of the United States 7-5 6-2.

Russia's third-seeded Anastasia Myskina won the second WTA tournament of her career when she beat number eight seed Eleni Daniilidou 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.

The Greek player had surprisingly knocked out defending champion Monica Seles in her semi-final but could not repeat that performance against her 21-year-old opponent.

Kuerten, who has suffered a dramatic loss of form and undergone a hip operation in the last year, had dropped to 53rd in the Champions Race rankings.

His return to form comes at the tournament where his unhappy run began exactly one year ago with a first-round elimination.

The Brazilian had won six ATP titles, including the French Open, last year before losing in Brazil. Since then he has been unable even to reach the last four of a tournament.

The Brazilian known locally as Guga made an electric start, winning the first eight points of Saturday's semi-final to take a 2-0 lead in the first set.

The break of serve was enough for him to take the first set in which he blasted ten aces, included three in succession in the sixth game.

AGGRESSIVE TENNIS

Delgado, who has never won an ATP tournament and is just outside the top 100 of the Champions Race, came to life in the second set, often forcing a surprised Kuerten onto the defensive with some aggressive tennis.

In a set full of long, dramatic rallies, both players broke serve three times and Kuerten saved two set points in the 12th game before Delgado won the tiebreak 7-2 to level the match, the first set the Brazilian has dropped in the tournament.

But the 25-year-old Paraguayan ran out of steam in the last set, Kuerten rediscovered his serve and, after breaking Delgado in the fourth game, finally wrapped up the match in two hours and 25 minutes.

Coria, 67th in the Champions Race, made a slow start to his semi-final and lost his serve in the second game before breaking back in the seventh and eleventh games to win the first set.

Mamit seemed to be affected by the midday tropical heat in the second set as Coria cruised to a comfortable win.

"It was a very important win. The heat made it a very difficult game" said the 20-year-old, who will now attempt to add to the title he won in Vina del Mar in Chile last year.

In the women's final, Myskina made up for the disappointment of losing in the finals at England's Birmingham and Eastbourne tournaments this year as she overcame Daniilidou.

Myskina took the first set but the Greek, who had come from behind three times in the tournament, threatened a repeat performance by hitting back to take the second set.

The Russian broke Daniilidou's serve twice in a row at the start of the third set to add to the title she won at Palermo three years ago.