Top-seeded Michael Chang roared back after losing the first set Sunday to defeat No. 2 Todd Martin 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-4), 6-0 and win the AT&T Challenge tennis tournament.
It was Chang's fourth title this year, but his first championship on clay since winning the French Open in 1989, when he became the youngest Grand Slam champion at the age of 17 years, 3 months.The victory won the world's seventh-ranked player $42,000 from the total purse of $300,000. Martin took home $24,150.
For the first set and a half, Martin, ranked ninth in the world, served well despite a stiff wind, played aggressively to cut short any rallies and even outdueled his 5-foot-9 opponent from the baseline.
Capitalizing on Chang's weak service, Martin grabbed an early break to take a 3-0 lead, then expanded it to 4-1. Chang retaliated, sneaking a break in the seventh game to make it 3-4, then holding to for a tiebreak.
Martin continued to dominate into the second set as Chang struggled with his serve. But he recovered his serve after 2-4 and battled to the second-set tiebreaker.
Chang changed his tactics in the third set, and it paid off. In just 24 minutes, he put the match out of Martin's reach by nailing service returns and hitting passing shots at every opportunity.
"At the end of the second set I started to return his second serve from 15 feet behind the baseline. I wanted to give myself more time to get a good whack at the ball," Chang said. "This was a major turning point for me. I was able to return much more effectively by doing this on his first and second serve."
Martin downplayed the factor of fatigue and pressure that may have come into play after the second set.
"I wasn't deflated after losing the second set. I think he was on a real high," Martin said. "I can't help that he was hitting those passing shots.
"There are other guys who can chase down balls, but he hits his best shots from 20 feet behind the baseline. This is admirable because it takes a lot of strength," said Martin, who won earlier this year at Memphis, Tenn.
Chang, who also has won at Jakarta, Philadelphia and Hong Kong, moves on to Europe, where he will play in the Italian Open in Rome, the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf, Germany, and then the French Open.