Muster Triumphs In Mexico, Regains Top Spot In Ratings

Thomas Muster reclaimed the No. 1 men’s tennis ranking from Pete Sampras on Sunday by defeating Jiri Novak 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 at Mexico City to win the Mexican Open for the fourth straight time.

Muster, who had become the 13th player to hold the No. 1 spot in the 23-year history of the rankings on Feb. 12, was passed by Sampras, when Sampras won at San Jose, Calif., on Feb. 18.

Muster’s win Sunday, coupled with Sampras’ withdrawal from the ABN AMRO tournament quarterfinals because of a sprained right foot, catapulted Muster back to No. 1 by 19 points on the ATP Tour computer.

“It was good to win today because it proved I can be No. 1 by my own power,” said Muster, a clay-court specialist from Austria who has won this event every year it has been played. “I became No. 1 on my own. There’s no bad smell about my being No. 1 this time.”

Muster first took over the top spot from Andre Agassi following a Davis Cup week when there were no ATP Tour events.

Goran Ivanisevic won the ABN AMRO indoor tournament at Rotterdam, Netherlands, beating Yevgeny Kafelnikov 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.

Wayne Ferreira captured his first ATP title of the year, defeating Marcelo Rios 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 to win the Franklin Templeton Classic at Scottsdale, Ariz.

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