Agnes Szavay of Hungary again thrilled the home crowd by defeating Switzerland's Patty Schnyder in the final of the Budapest Grand Prix for the second straight year Sunday. Szavay posted a 6-2, 6-4 victory for her fourth career WTA Tour title and her first since claiming this tournament last year with a three-set win over Schnyder. The seventh-seeded Szavay dominated the first set with a pair of breaks and staved off two break chances by Schnyder. After a trade of breaks early in the second set, Szavay broke again for a 5-4 lead and held at love to finish the match. Szavay improved to 4-2 all-time in WTA finals, while Schnyder dropped to 11-15. The 31-year-old Schnyder had lost in the first round at both of her previous two events - the French Open and Wimbledon - before this week's run through the draw. She hasn't won a title since Bali in 2008. Szavay earned a first prize of $37,000. Fish-Rochus final In Rhode Island, American Mardy Fish has advanced to the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships final by beating British qualifier Richard Bloomfield 7-6 (5), 6-4 Saturday. Fish will play No. 4-seeded Olivier Rochus of Belgium, a 6-3, 6-2 winner over Brian Dabul of Argentina. The fifth-seeded Fish will be in his second ATP final of the season and attempt to capture his fourth career title. He lost to countryman Sam Querrey at Queen's Club last month. Fish was ranked 79th entering the week. Bloomfield, ranked 552nd, faulted on eight of nine serves when he was broken in the ninth game of the second set. Fish closed it out at love in the final game. Fish held serve at love four of five games in the second set. The Briton's first-round victory over Christophe Rochus of Belgium was being reviewed by tennis officials after online gambling exchange Betfair reported that the match attracted unusual action. Bloomfield was also caught up in a betting controversy after his only ATP win before Newport, coming in 2006 when his 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Argentina's Carlos Berlocq in the first round at Wimbledon was investigated following irregular patterns. “I said to him before the match, the only two matches he's won in his career and there's been a gambling scandal,” Fish said. “He doesn't seem like that type of guy. Maybe he's got rich friends.” Bloomfield was 1-10 in his career before winning three times on Newport's grass courts. “It's been a great week, a fun week. I'll remember it forever,” he said. NZ beats Pakistan Novice Austen Childs clinched the final match in the reverse singles as New Zealand came from behind to beat Pakistan 3-2 in their Asia/Ocean Group II Davis Cup semifinal match Sunday. The 21-year-old made his Davis Cup debut in the deciding rubber and pulled off a 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 win over Aqeel Khan. Pakistan led 2-1 going into the final day before New Zealand No. 1 Rubin Statham leveled the series in the first of the reverse singles by beating Aisamul Haq Qureshi 6-2, 6-1, 6-3. Childs then stepped up in the final match to dispatch Khan in under two hours. “I was pretty nervous from the start. I wasn't really excited, just nervous,” said Childs, a student at the University of Louisville in the US. “As soon as I broke his serve in the first set I was all right.” Statham kept New Zealand in the tie with a straight sets win over Qureshi who had been the Pakistan anchor over the first two days. The Wimbledon doubles quarterfinalist won a marathon opening singles when he beat Michael Venus 15-13 in the fifth set on Friday and then partnered Khan to win the doubles Saturday. New Zealand will now play the winner of the match between Thailand and Indonesia in the group final in September. The semifinal against Pakistan was played on indoor courts in the North Island town of Hawera after being shifted from Pakistan amid security concerns.
