Tokyo title for Majoli

IVA MAJOLI of Croatia beat third seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-4 6-1 to win the £617,500 Pan Pacific Open women's indoor title…

IVA MAJOLI of Croatia beat third seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-4 6-1 to win the £617,500 Pan Pacific Open women's indoor title in Tokyo and then said it capped the best week of her life.

Majoli, 18, took only 72 minutes to add Sanchez Vicario's scalp to that of top seed Monica Seles, whom she beat in the quarter-finals.

The Croatian, who reached the final by overcoming Swiss teenager Martina Hingis, overpowered the Spaniard to take the £133,000 winner's prize and improved her world ranking from seventh to a career-best fourth.

"It was the biggest week in my life. I still cannot believe I beat top players here," said seventh seed Majoli.

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Sanchez Vicario, who outlasted compatriot Conchita Martinez in the semi-finals, was on the defensive throughout the match and was often reduced to lunging at balls simply to keep them in play.

"I made more errors than usual in the match and I was a little bit slow, but I think she (Majoli) played very well today, served very well and returned very well," said Sanchez Vicario.

But the 24-year-old Spaniard was forced into many of her errors. Majoli kept stretching her shorter opponent to corners of the court and then moved in to smash away weak returns.

Andre Agassi, who is about to lose the world No 1 ranking to Austrian Thomas Muster, consoled himself by beating former No 1 Pete Sampras 6-4 2-6 6-4 at an exhibition in Atlanta.