TENNIS ROUNDUP : $2 Million Helps Stich Forget All About Bad Year

It had been a disappointing season for Michael Stich, who fell to No. 15 in the world rankings.

But Stich turned things around in the Grand Slam Cup at Munich, Germany, beating Michael Chang, 6-2, 6-3, 6-2, in Sunday’s final to earn the $2-million first prize, the biggest in tennis.

The German, who won Wimbledon in 1991 but only one event this year entering the $6-million Cup, beat Chang in 2 hours 7 minutes. Counting Chang, Stich defeated four top 10 players on his way to the championship. The others were Stefan Edberg, Richard Krajicek and Pete Sampras.

“It was a good finish to the year and I hope it will be a good start for the next,” Stich said. “It means more to me to beat four top 10 players and win the tournament than the money I got.

“I think Michael was tired from (Saturday’s) match, especially mentally.” Chang, ranked No. 6 in the world, had to play five tough sets Saturday to beat Goran Ivanisevic, 6-7 (7-3), 6-2, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in a 3-hour 38-minute semifinal match.

Stich, meanwhile, became the second German to win a big season-ending tennis tournament. Boris Becker, who skipped the Grand Slam Cup, won last month’s ATP Tour World Championship.

Stich, the first non-American to reach the final in three Grand Slam Cups, broke Chang for the second time to take the first set. He again broke the American for a 5-3 lead and held to go up two sets.

Chang, who also reached last year’s final and lost to American David Wheaton and who won three tournaments this year, could not match Stich’s power at the net.

Chang dropped his serve at the start of the third set, but broke Stich for the first time in the fourth game to tie, at 2-2.

Chang double-faulted to suffer another break in the next game and Stich broke again for a 5-2 lead.

Serving for the match, Stich double-faulted to face a break point, but came back and converted his first match point with a volley off a good serve.

“Everything worked well,” Stich said. “I didn’t think that it would be so easy, although I knew that his game usually can’t hurt me.”

Chang said, “I didn’t play as well as I did (Saturday). He didn’t seem to be missing a whole lot, and he put his whole game together.”

The outcome will not affect world rankings, since the tournament is not run by the ATP, which puts out computer rankings.

The tournament invites 16 players with the best records in the four Grand Slam events--the Australian, French and U.S. Opens and Wimbledon. Neither Stich nor Chang had won any Grand Slam titles this year, and both were unseeded here.

Chris Lewis of New Zealand defeated top-seeded Bjorn Borg, 7-5, 6-4, to win the Advanta Tour senior tournament at Coral Springs, Fla. Lewis, who earned $25,000, broke Borg in the final game of each set to win his first tournament since 1985.