Top Seed Enqvist In AATP Final

Former champion Lleyton Hewitt, the hometown favorite, will play 1999 winner Thomas Enqvist of Sweden in the final Sunday of the AAPT tennis championships.

The 18-year-old from Adelaide advanced to the final for a record third straight time by rallying to beat Nicolas Escude 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 Saturday, his 13th victory in 14 matches at the men's hardcourt event.

Enqvist earned his chance at back-to-back titles by overcoming fellow Swede and good friend Magnus Norman 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.

Hewitt's first break came in the fourth game of the second set. Escude double faulted at 0-15 then hit long twice, giving Hewitt a 3-1 lead. He then broke again on Escude's next serve, winning when the Frenchman's lob was smashed into the corner of the court at 30-40.

"I was struggling in the second set; he could have got a break up on me in the first couple of games there, but once I got that break his game started to fall apart and he gave me a lot of cheap points," Hewitt said.

©2000 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed