Nieminen wins the Heineken Open

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Jarkko Nieminen beat Mario Ancic, 6-2, 6-2, in Saturday's Heineken Open final at Auckland, New Zealand.

It was the first career title for Nieminen, who is from Finland.

"This is tennis history for Finland," Nieminen said. "Winning my first title is also very nice for my country. Now when I've finally done it, it just feels great."

For his effort, Nieminen, 24, earned a first-prize check of $430,000. He had been pushed to three sets in his semifinal win over sixth-seeded Olivier Rochus.

Ancic, a native of Croatia, was thwarted in an attempt to win his second career ATP title, but collected $35,000 as the runner-up. He had not lost a set in the tournament before the title match.