Tennis: Lucic's daring debut

Mirjana Lucic, an unseeded 15-year-old Croatian playing in her first WTA tournament, won her own country's women's Open in Bol yesterday.

Lucic, who defeated the top seed, Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, in straight sets in Saturday's semi-final, beat the unseeded American Corina Morariu 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in the final.

In a match dominated by baseline play, Lucic took the opening set to the delight of the 2,000 crowd. Morariu won the second set on a tie-break but the American double-faulted at match point in the third set tie-break to give Lucic the title.

Jimmy Moore, the on-site tour director of the women's tour, said he believes Lucic is the "only player in the history of professional tennis to win a WTA tournament at first attempt''.

France's Cedric Pioline won his second ATP Tour tournament yesterday, beating the hometown favourite, Bohdan Ulihrach, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 in the Czech Open in Prague.

Pioline, who lost his first nine finals before taking the Copenhagen Open in 1996, started well, breaking the Czech's first service game on his way to taking the first set comfortably.

In the second set the Frenchman failed to clinch victory with three match points at 5-4, allowing Ulihrach, ranked 23rd in the world, to claw his way back with a break in the 11th game. The Czech then served out the set.

Ulihrach gained the initiative early in the third set, but Pioline held on to force a tie-break. The two traded mini-breaks before a wild forehand by Ulihrach gave Pioline the chance he needed at 6-4 which he took.