In steamy 150-degree courtside heat that made Jim Courier feel right at home, he bullied Stefan Edberg for two sets as few men ever have and survived a stirring comeback Sunday to capture a second straight Australian Open championship.
Courier, as fierce as he was in his four-set victory over Edberg in the final a year ago, won his fourth Grand Slam title 6-2, 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 and further entrenched himself as No. 1.Courier, who won nearly $280,000 to give him $5.2 million in career prize money at age 22, dug the Swede into a big hole with serves he could barely touch in the first two sets and almost buried him with sizzling returns and groundstrokes.
Edberg didn't seem stiff or slowed by the lower back spasms that nearly caused him to withdraw a week ago. Rather, after recovering and improving with each match through the semis, Edberg simply couldn't handle the heat and Courier's blazing shots.
Surface temperatures on the rubberized hard courts rose to a blistering 153 degrees during the match, while air temperatures outside the stadium were a stifling 104 degrees - harsh conditions for Edberg but perfect for Florida-native Courier.
Starting out wearing a baseball cap as he hardly ever has, Edberg fell behind 4-1 after Courier broke him in the fourth game. A key to this match-up, as always between them, would be whether Edberg's serves to Courier's backhand would work, allowing Edberg to set up at the net.
Courier's backhand returns were simply brutal, rocking Edberg back, forcing him to stare at passes, and sometimes nearly tearing the racket out of his hand. At 5-2, Edberg got rid of his cap and Courier quickly grabbed three set points at 0-40 on those strong returns and a netted volley by Edberg.
Edberg fought back, pushing Courier through four deuces before, dropping the set on another backhand crosscourt return by Courier whizzed past the charging Edberg untouched.
When Courier served in that first set and most of the second, he was equally punishing, giving up a mere two points in his first seven service games.
The first sign that Courier's dominance would subside somewhat came when he served for second set at 5-1. Edberg cracked through to a 0-40 advantage, but couldn't get the break as Courier reeled off six straight points.
Edberg, despite his quiet demeanor, showed again that he is one of the most relentless players in the sport as he raised the level of his game in the third set. Still serving to Courier's backhand, still attacking at the net, and taking advantage now of Courier's errors, Edberg took control and swept through the set as if he were completely fresh.
They battled to 3-3 in the fourth set before Courier once again asserted himself on returns, drilling several past Edberg to break him to 4-3. But once again, Edberg refused to quit, breaking back to 4-4 when Courier netted a forehand at 30-40.
After they each held to 5-5, Courier stepped up the pressure again to grab two break points at 15-40. Edberg, his strength nearly sapped, then double-faulted wide and into the net to give Courier the chance to serve for the match.
Courier grabbed two match points at 40-15, but Edberg saved them both, the second on a perfect drop volley. Courier went to match point again on a backhand return wide by Edberg, then won it after more than 2 1/2 hours when Edberg put a forehand return in the net.