Mecir Defeats Schapers for Sixth Time to Win the Title in New Zealand Open

Top-seeded Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia shook off a hand injury Sunday to win the New Zealand Open with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands.

“I was a little nervous to start with and my volleys were horrible,” Mecir said after beating Schapers for the sixth consecutive time. “Usually I play like that when I have not played for awhile, but that was not the case against Schapers. I had already had several matches in the tournament, but I felt weak in the hand and could not hold the ball on the racket for as long as I would have wished.”

Mecir’s disadvantage saw him drop service in the second game of the first set--one of only two times Schapers managed to break service.

“I came to prepare for the Australian Open grand-slam event and perhaps it was a risk, but I wanted to have some play on grass before the open,” Mecir said.