Ancic wins the St. Petersburg Open

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Third-seeded Croat Mario Ancic was Sunday's winner of the St. Petersburg Open tennis tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia.

In the final, Ancic beat defending champion Thomas Johansson of Sweden to earn his second title of the season and the third of his career.

"It is difficult to play against a friend like Thomas," said Ancic, who won $142,000. "He is one of my best friends on tour. I hope we can play more finals against each other. It was my first time in Russia and I really felt great here. It is a great experience."

The 31-year-old Johansson was denied his 10th career title.

As the runner-up, he won $83,600.