TENNIS ROUNDUP : Special Win for Croatian Ivanisevic

Top-seeded Goran Ivanisevic recovered from a slow start and slammed 15 aces to beat Christian Bergstrom, 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, in the final of the Australian Hardcourt tennis championships Sunday night at Adelaide, Australia.

The victory in the 2 1/2-hour match was Ivanisevic’s third in an ATP Tour event. But, the powerful left-hander said: “This is the first tournament I won playing for Croatia. It will always be special for me.”

The unseeded Bergstrom, of Sweden, was playing in the first final of his career and wilted toward the end in cold and windy conditions.

Bergstrom had a break point for a 5-4 lead in the second set, but Ivanisevic responded with an ace and went on to take the set.

“He served very well whenever I had break points,” Bergstrom said. “I was very close. Maybe next time.

“I’ve learned I have to play a little more aggressively against someone like him.”

Ivanisevic said earlier in the week that he might have been forced to withdraw from the tournament because of tennis elbow.

Neither player lost a set before the final.

The tournament was a warm-up for the Australian Open Jan. 13-26 at Melbourne.

Jeff Tarango of Manhattan Beach shocked top-seeded Russian Alexander Volkov, 6-1, 6-0, 6-3, to win the BP Nationals tournament at Wellington, New Zealand.

The unseeded Tarango, a former Stanford standout, earned $22,600.

The Russian reached the final of the $182,500 event without dropping a set, but was unable to match Tarango’s pace and persistence.

Tarango, a left-hander, defeated three seeded players on his way to the title.

Tarango came into the tournament ranked 106 on the IBM-ATP Tour computer. Volkov was 25th.

Nicole Provis used a series of blazing groundstrokes to wear down Rachel McQuillan and score a 6-3, 6-2 victory in the final of the Danone Queensland Open at Brisbane, Australia.

Provis, seeded 14th, was more consistent than McQuillan in the first all-Australian final on the women’s professional tour in 13 years.

McQuillan, seeded No. 8, made a number of unforced errors on crucial points.

Provis, a former French Open semifinalist, won the first tour final of her six-year career.

She said a diet and a new attitude paid dividends. She has lost 22 pounds and harnessed her temper.

“I’ve had to change my attitude, to not get upset, and hopefully it will pay off,” Provis said.