Kuerten masters the Masters

By Christopher Clarey

LISBON (PORTUGAL), DEC. 4. Gustavo Kuerten will never create a bigger surprise than the one he did at the 1997 French Open, when he emerged from deep in the background and his two-star hotel to win the world's most important clay-court tennis tournament. He did it by beating three former champions and by recovering from five-setters the way a marathoner recovers from a jog on the beach.

No, Guga, as Kuerten is known in his native Brazil, will never top that, but he came close enough to make for a historic Sunday at the year-end Tour championship that features the world's top eight players and is now known as the Masters Cup.

Kuerten had never reached a final in any indoor event. Though he arrived in second position in the new season-long points race, he was still a seemingly insurmountable 115 points behind Marat Safin of Russia after the first two days of round- robin play in this unusual event, where one loss does not necessarily a loser make.

At that stage, Safin needed just one more victory or one more Kuerten loss to clinch the No. 1 ranking. Safin failed to beat Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi in consecutive matches, but Kuerten succeeded, and after he finished serving for the match and a whole lot more in Sunday's final, he was soon in possession of two trophies and wrapped up snugly in the Brazilian flag.

Not only had Kuerten, 24, won the title and $1.4 million by defeating Agassi, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, but also he had become the first South American in the 27-year history of the computer ranking to finish the year at No. 1. He is the first non-American to finish on top since Stefan Edberg of Sweden in 1991.

``This is the happiest day of my life,'' said Kuerten, who enjoyed the rare privilege of delivering his victory speech in his native language, Portuguese.

Only one other man had beaten Sampras and Agassi in consecutive matches: Michael Chang at the 1990 Canadian Open.

Kuerten saved 16 break points in a row over the weekend: nine in his three-set victory over Sampras in Saturday's semifinals and then all seven he faced against Agassi, 30, who beat Kuerten in three sets in a round-robin match last Tuesday but could not beat him when it mattered most.

``I think I got one ball in play on my opportunities to really make the match close,'' Agassi said.

They and us....

``They were made to be champions,'' Kuerten said of Agassi and Sampras. ``It wasn't the same for me. I came from a little town. Brazil has no championship, no ATP tournament.

``I think I'm a lucky guy, but also I've been very determined and very strong, otherwise it would be impossible.''

Agassi was not about to argue. ``There's really only a few great things to accomplish in this sport,'' he said. ``Winning all the Slams, Davis Cup, the gold medal and finishing the year No. 1. Today he accomplished a truly great thing.''

Safin, 20, will now have to get back in line and wait his turn. He won a season-high seven tournaments, including the U.S. Open.

Kuerten had highlights of his own. He won his second French Open title in June and four other tournaments.

- New York Times News Service

* * *

The race for the top spot

LISBON, DEC. 4. Gustavo Kuerten's Masters Cup triumph over Andre Agassi made him the 2000 year-ending champion. Here is a chronology of inaugural ATP champions race leaders in this, the final week of the season, and a list of former year-end champions:

Jan. 10 Fabrice Santoro (Fra) 1 week at No. 1

Jan. 17 Lleyton Hewitt (Aus) 2 weeks

Jan. 31 Andre Agassi (USA) 4 weeks

Feb. 28 Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Rus) 2 weeks

Mar. 13 Andre Agassi (USA) 1 week

Mar. 20 Yevgeny Kafelnikov (Rus) 2 weeks

Apr. 3 Andre Agassi (USA) 6 weeks

May 15 Magnus Norman (Swe) 4 weeks

Jun. 12 Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) 5 weeks

Jul. 17 Magnus Norman (Swe) 3 weeks

Aug. 7 Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) 5 weeks

Sep. 11 Pete Sampras (USA) 1 week

Sep. 18 Marat Safin (Rus) 2 weeks

Oct. 2 Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) 6 weeks

Nov. 13 Marat Safin (Rus) 3 weeks

Dec. 4 Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) final week of season.

Previous year-end number ones:

Ilie Nastase (Rom) 1973

Jimmy Connors (USA) 1974-78

Bjorn Borg (Swe) 1979-80

John McEnroe (USA) 1981-84

Ivan Lendl (Cze) 1985-87, 1989

Mats Wilander (Swe) 1988

Stefan Edberg (Swe) 1990-91

Jim Courier (USA) 1992

Pete Sampras (USA) 1993-98

Andre Agassi (USA) 1999

Gustavo Kuerten (Bra) 2000.

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