It’s Finally Time for Stich to Win : Tennis: German takes his first title of the year with 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory over Enqvist at L.A. Tennis Center.

Not having won a tournament in more than a year, Michael Stich was in danger of being viewed as a gifted, versatile player who--having won but one Grand Slam title--was destined to make money and make finals but no more. Championships are highly prized in tennis; winning really isn’t winning unless it earns a title.

Before Sunday, the world’s No. 9 player had made it to the final of four tournaments this season, all on different surfaces, surely a notable achievement. Yet, to some, his record is diminished by the fact that Stich has failed to win a title.

That particular monkey was flung from Stich’s back in the slanting shadows of Sunday evening. Stich defeated Thomas Enqvist, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, to win the Infiniti Open at the L.A. Tennis Center at UCLA.

Stich claimed not to have noticed that 14 months had passed since his last title.

“I didn’t think about that,” he said. “You realize afterward that you haven’t won a tournament. It’s nice to win one, especially on hard court, and especially since I didn’t play well in the last couple of months.”

Stich has suffered in Germany by comparisons with Boris Becker, his more robust and outgoing countryman. Stich won Wimbledon in 1991 and reached the finals of the U.S. Open last year, but he has generally languished in Becker’s mythic shadow. For whatever reason, fans have not warmed to Stich, whose intensity on the court is at odds with his thoughtful, intelligent manner off it. Since his marriage in 1992 Stich has been intent on reassessing how tennis fits in his life and his outlook seems to have improved.

Enqvist, too, should be mired in a pool of expectations, being the latest in a line of promising Swedish players. But, seemingly immune to the national pressure, the 21-year-old Swede has blithely exceeded his projected rise. He has won five titles in his brief career and has evidenced a killer instinct: Sunday’s final was the first final he has ever played in and lost.

With a punishing serve and the unerring groundstrokes so emblematic of Swedish tennis players, Enqvist gives the appearance of being on the verge of something. He began the year ranked No. 60 and is now No. 16. As if to symbolize his nation’s tennis succession, Enqvist will probably pass Stefan Edberg in this week’s rankings.

Both Enqvist and Stich were near the top of their game on Sunday. So tight was the match that the first service break came in the third game of the third set. Each have had excellent serving runs--Stich lost his serve only twice during the tournament and Enqvist went 36 service games with a break.

The first-set tiebreaker was tense with the players trading points and each holding a set point. Enqvist was the steadier and prevailed to take the first set.

Stich had a more difficult time holding his serve in the second, while Enqvist was winning his service games at love. Stich nearly lost his serve in the fifth game, as Enqvist had three break points and Stich was given a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct after reacting to one of the many questionable calls that punctuated the match.

Stich served well in the tiebreaker--he had 17 aces in the match--and took the second set.

Enqvist appeared tired and not as secure in the third set and his dwindling power on his service allowed Stich to break in the third game. From there, Stich dictated the set. Enqvist won only 13 points in the third set and the match took 2 hours 29 minutes.

“After I broke him, it gave me a lot of confidence,” Stich said. “I was up a break and serving myself pretty well. He didn’t believe in himself. What I did very well today was I kept fighting all the time. I didn’t give up.”