Enqvist Steals Stockholm

Thomas Enqvist got off to a dream start in the first set and beat Magnus Gustafsson 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 Sunday to win the all-Swedish final in the Stockholm Open.

It was the third title for the top-seeded Enqvist in the oldest indoor tournament on the tour, just one short of the record held by John McEnroe and Boris Becker.

A native of Stockholm ranked seventh in the world, Enqvist also won the tournament at the Royal Tennis Hall in 1995 and '96. He now is the most successful Swede in the Stockholm Open, having won more titles than Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg.

"No other Swede won three times, so it's a fantastic feeling," Enqvist said.

"I played a really good match. I put a lot of pressure on him."

Enqvist dropped only one of the first 13 points in the match, posting two straight love games at the start, then losing the only point with service in game three.

Gustafsson, a losing finalist to Ivan Lendl 10 years ago, never got back in the match after that poor start.

He had the sellout crowd behind him, but it didn't help. He managed to break Enqvist's serve only once, midway through the first set.

Enqvist's third title of the year was worth $112,000. He also won at Adelaide in January before reaching the Australian Open final, his best career Grand Slam showing.

But he didn't make another final until three weeks ago, when he beat Marcelo Rios, Andre Agassi and Richard Krajicek in the final three rounds at Stuttgart, Germany.

"I knew it would be a tough match," Gustafsson said. "He's in such great form. He can beat anyone right now. He proved that in Stuttgart."

©1999 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed