Sjeng Schalken scored another big-match
victory over Rainer Schuettler as the Dutch second seed got the better of the
top-seeded German on Sunday to win the Brasil Open.
Schalken won with relative ease by a 6-2 6-4 scoreline and appears to have the
German's number.
The Dutchman also beat Schuettler in their last two matchups - a straight-sets
victory in the fourth round at Wimbledon and a four-set win in the fourth round
at the US Open.
Schalken now has two titles in 2003, with this following his triumph at
Hertogenbosch in June. In his career, he now has nine ATP titles to his credit.
Schuettler's last title win was at Shanghai in 2001, but he has enjoyed a fine
season, which began with a notable performance at the Australian where he was a
surprise runner-up.
He has had a solid hardcourt run in the summer with semi-final appearances at
Masters Series events at Montreal and Cincinnati.
This was the first time a final here did not feature a Brazilian player.