Former Australian Open finalist Marcos Baghdatis warmed up for the first Grand Slam of the year with a 6-4, 7-6 (2) win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet in Saturday's Sydney International final. Baghdatis, runner-up to Roger Federer at the 2006 Australian Open, won the first set before the players had a 75-minute wait in the dressing room during a rainstorm at Sydney Olympic Park. Baghdatis fell behind 5-2 in the second set before breaking back twice and leveling at 5-5, then prevailing in the tiebreaker. It was Baghdatis' fourth career ATP singles title. Baghdatis, who has won 16 of his last 17 matches including a challenger event in Tashkent and the title at Stockholm, is unseeded at the Australian Open as he continues his comeback from wrist and back injuries last year. The Cypriot player was also unseeded in 2006 when he beat Andy Roddick and David Nalbandian before losing to Federer in the Australian Open final. A former world junior champion, Baghdatis also won the Australian Open junior title in 2003. Isner wins Auckland Big serving American John Isner saved one championship point and overcame some loose shotmaking to beat France's Arnaud Clement 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 and win his first ATP Tour title at the Auckland Open Saturday. The 24-year-old Isner staved off match point in the 12th game of the final set before smashing two aces past the French veteran to send the match into a tiebreak. He then raced away with the shootout, jumping out to a 3-1 lead, which he built on to hold match point at 6-2 and then sealed the title when he blasted a forehand service winner down the line. Earlier, the last-minute pairing of New Zealand's Marcus Daniell and his Romanian partner Horia Tecau clinched the doubles title with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Brazilian duo Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares. Daniell and Tecau very nearly did not even play this week, with the 24-year-old Romanian only allowed to enter the doubles as a wildcard by tournament director Richard Palmer on the condition he partnered the New Zealander. Verdasco beats Tsonga In Melbourne, Spain's Fernando Verdasco issued a warning to his rivals ahead of the Australian Open with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Jo Wilfried Tsonga in the Kooyong Classic final Saturday. World No. 9 Verdasco broke the 10th-ranked Frenchman late to clinch a hard-fought first set, then broke him twice more to race to a 4-0 lead in the second under bright sunshine at Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club. Tsonga broke back to rally to 5-3, but struggled with unforced errors and was unable to reel in the Spaniard, whose powerful baseline game was on song throughout the tournament. Earlier Saturday, Australian teenager Bernard Tomic upset Serbian world No. 3 Novak Djokovic 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in an exhibition match. Bondarenko wins title In Hobart, fourth-seeded Alona Bondarenko won the Hobart International singles title Saturday with a 6-2, 6-4 win over second-seeded Shahar Peer of Israel. Bondarenko is seeded No. 31 for the Australian Open, which starts Monday in Melbourne. The Hobart victory Saturday was the biggest of her career to date, and her second title.
