Godwin snaps final-match hex

Victoria Sun

Monday, Nov. 6, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

The last thing South Africa's Neville Godwin wanted was to let another final slip away.

Three times last year he played his way into the finals of Challenger events in Jerusalem, Manchester, England and Istanbul with the same disheartening result -- he lost.

So it wasn't an overwhelming sense of joy that consumed him after he cruised to a 6-3, 6-3, victory over Italian Cristiano Caratti in the finals of the $50,000 USTA/Las Vegas Challenger Sunday afternoon at the Fertitta Tennis Complex at UNLV.

"I really wanted to win today bad," he said. "To lose four finals in a row wouldn't be that great.

"It was a huge relief for me. Obviously serving for the match I was pretty nervous. I played a couple of pretty good points to help me get out of it."

Godwin earned $7,200 for the victory while Caratti pocketed $4,240.

Godwin skillfully mastered Caratti by seizing every opportunity he had to go to the net.

Caratti served to open the match and was broken immediately by Godwin, who often came in behind his service returns.

While Caratti clung to the baseline, Godwin, a serve and volleyer, dictated the pace of play.

"I was just trying to stay aggressive the whole time," Godwin said.

"In this altitude, it is important not to let a baseliner get into any kind of a rhythm.

"I've been playing pretty well the last couple of weeks. I have more self belief and self-confidence that I can play."

His new attitude surfaced after he reached the quarterfinals in doubles at the French Open with partner Michael Hill and lost in three sets to Jonas Bjorkman in the third round of Wimbledon.

Godwin, 25, turned pro in 1994.

He reached a career high ranking -- 90th -- in 1997 and has posted wins over former world No. 1 American Jim Courier and 1999 French Open semifinalist Dominik Hrbaty.

This was the second challenger victory of his career and first of the year.

Godwin will play three of the circuit's next four events before the year is over, starting with a challenger in Burbank, Calif., in hopes of earning enough ATP Tour entry system points to get an automatic entry into the main draw of the Australian Open that will be played in January.

"This was my first of the year -- so far," Godwin said. "The year is not over yet."

Though Godwin, who said of his first visit to Las Vegas, "I'll remember it fondly," is up about $700 after hitting a quarter slot machine jackpot, he has set his limit.

"I won't be putting any of it on red or black," he said with a chuckle.

Before the singles final, two South Africans, Marcos Ondruska and Jeff Coetzee, outlasted American teenagers Andy Roddick and Mardy Fish, 6-7 (9), 7-6 (6), 6-1, in the doubles final.

Ondruska and Coetzee split $3,100 while Roddick and Fish shared $1,820.