SHANGHAI (AFP) - Argentina's Guillermo Canas thrashed unheralded German Lars Burgsmuller in the final of the Shanghai ATP tennis tournament, conceding just one game in the 57-minute match.
Third seed Canas outclassed his 123rd ranked opponent 6-1, 6-0 in an awesome display of speed and power to come away the victor of the 380,500 dollar event.
An aggressive Burgsmuller tried to take the game to Canas, attacking from all angles, but the quicker and determined Buenos Aires native always had an answer as he outran and outgunned the 28-year-old German.
"I played the beginning of the match and then I got better and better and I think that is why you had this (final) score," said Canas.
Canas, 26, set the tone of the match early as he broke Burgsmuller in the third game of the first set.
It was a harbinger of what was to come as the unseeded Mulheim resident succumbed in the fifth game and again in the seventh as too many nearly certain winners sailed wide or into the net.
A change of shirt from white to black did little to change Burgsmuller's fortunes in the second set. He continued to struggle to hit the mark with his first serve, while also faltering on key points that could have kept him apace of his opponent.
"He played very good and he didn't miss any shots and I missed a lot," said a disappointed Burgsmuller.
"I didn't make the important points right from the beginning."
Shanghai was Burgsmuller's second singles final this year after Heilbronn. He was a finalist in Casablanca four years ago and he won his only ATP trophy in Copenhagen in 2002.
For Canas, who is set to move up in the world rankings from his current 24th, it was his third title of the year and a vindication for missing most of 2002 and last year recuperating from surgery on his wrist.
With his sixth career ATP title in the bag, following back-to-back tournaments at Umag and Stuttgart in July, Canas has no doubts about where he wants to go.
"My next goal is to try and get into the top 10," said Canas, who will play in the Japan Open next week.
"I will try to play my best tennis (in Japan), if I do, I have a chance to win there too," he said.
Canas has now won 18 of his last 19 matches, with his only loss coming at the hands of 2003 US Open champion Andy Roddick.
In the doubles final, Jared Palmer of the US and Czech Pavel Vizner came from behind in nailbiting finish, outlasting American partners Rick Leach and Brian Macphie 6-4, 7-6 (7/4), 7-6 (13/11).
This is the last year the Shanghai Open will be played in the eastern city as the six-year-old tournament makes way for the prestigious Master's Cup starting here in 2005.