TENNIS U.S. OPEN WHEELCHAIR CHAMPIONSHIPS : Snow Wins Ninth Title, Says He’ll Retire

Randy Snow wasn’t about to let the momentum slip away in the men’s open final of the U.S. Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships Sunday at the Racquet Club of Irvine.

The eight-time champion from Austin, Tex., had won five consecutive games against Australia’s Mick Connell to take a 7-5, 1-0 lead when Connell took a five-minute break early in the second set. Instead of resting, Snow elected to continue hitting with a ballgirl during the intermission.

“I can’t just sit still,” said Snow, 32. “I’m getting old, like Jimmy Connors, and I’ve got to keep moving or I just tighten up.”

The fact that Snow’s precision strokes had reappeared after a brief absence in the first set also had something to do with his impromptu rallying with the ballgirl. When Connell returned, Snow’s dominance continued and he cruised to a 7-5, 6-1 victory for his ninth U.S. Open singles championship.

Afterward, Snow announced that there won’t be a quest for a 10th title. “This is my last U.S. Open,” he said. “I’m going to play in the Olympics in Barcelona next summer, and then I’m going to retire. I’ve played in the Open for 12 years in a row, and it’s been wonderful. But I’m getting married (in May) and getting older, and it’s time to start a family and move on to other things.”

Connell took a 5-3 lead in the first set, pulling ahead with well-placed shots early in the match. But Snow responded to the challenge by winning 10 of the next 11 games to defend his championship.

“I started to go for a little too much, too many winners,” said Connell, a close friend of Snow’s. “He started to hit his backhand better, and then I started missing by an inch or two, and I got a little frustrated.”

Snow and Connell trained together for the Open at Snow’s home in Austin.

“I’ve got Mick to thank for getting me back into shape,” Snow said. “It took him and retirement to get me motivated and fired up. I’m glad it’s over, because it’s too damn hard and hurts too much to go through again.”