Santoro wins Qatar Mobil 2000 to become No 1

Fabrice Santoro of France made tennis history today by winning the Qatar Mobil Open 2000 in Doha, to become the first leader of the ATP's inaugural Champions Race.

Fabrice Santoro of France made tennis history today by winning the Qatar Mobil Open 2000 in Doha, to become the first leader of the ATP's inaugural Champions Race.

Santoro, 27, defeated the tournament's 1999 winner, Rainer Schuttler of Germany, who retired after the third game in the final set.

The match had been poised at one-set all after Schuttler won the first set 6-3 and Santoro took the next 7-5.

With Santoro leading 6-5 in the second set, it became apparent that the German was suffering from cramp.

In the final set, Santoro eased into a three game lead and, after playing for 1 hour 54 minutes, Schuttler could not find the strength to carry on.

"It was not just the cramp. It was the stomach muscles and everything else," Schuttler, 23, said. "The match was tough and when you get to the final, you're really tired."

Schuttler, who has pulled out of a tournament in New Zealand to concentrate on getting fit for the Australian Open, was left to rue a missed opportunity to retain his Qatari crown.

Santoro, who reached the finals in 1998, pocketed $137,000 and now leads the ATP Champions Race.