MELBOURNE, Australia -- Mats Wilander of Sweden downed Aussie Pat Cash 6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 3-6, 6-1, 8-6 Sunday to capture his third Australian Open title.
Wilander converted his first match point, hitting an overhead that Cash was unable to handle to conclude a four-hour, 27-minute match that was delayed twice by rain. Wilander earlier won Australian titles in 1983 and 1984.
The Swede broke Cash's serve to open the deciding set and then held his own serve to go ahead 2-0. After holding serve, Cash broke Wilander in the fourth game to even the set. Both players held serve until Wilander converted his second break point in the 13th game to move ahead 7-6.
In the first set, Wilander broke in the third game when the Australian double-faulted at 15-40. Wilander saved three break points in the sixth game and, in the ninth game, raced to 40-0 lead before Cash fought back to 40-30. Cash lost the set when a lob over Wilander's head drifted wide.
Trailing 1-0 in the second set, Cash saved one of two break points against him to trail 30-40, but on the next point, he sent a volley long to give Wilander a 2-0 lead. Wilander led 4-1 when rain halted play.
Officials quickly mopped up the water from the Rebound Ace surface, the sun soon reappeared and play resumed following a 33-minute delay.
Cash fell immediately in trouble on his serve, but survived two break points to take the sixth game. Wilander took the first point of the seventh, but Cash took the next four points to break. He then raced through the eighth game at love to level the set 4-4. In the tie-breaker, Cash hit some stinging returns and perfectly placed lobs to even the match.
A second downpour delayed play in the third set with Cash leading 3-0. Wilander led 30-0 in the second game before Cash unleashed four winners for the break. Cash held his serve in the third game and, following the delay, Wilander broke back to move within 3-1. The Swede broke Cash in the fifth game on the fourth break point. But in the sixth game he lost his service at love and Cash went on to win the set.
Wilander blitzed the Australian in the fourth set, racing to a 5-0 lead before Cash won a game. The Swede served out the set at love in the seventh game.
Earlier, the top-seeded doubles team of Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver collected their 18th Grand Slam tournament victory when they defeated Chris Evert and Wendy Turnbull, 6-0, 7-5.
Navratilova, of Fort Worth, Texas, and Shriver, of Lutherville, Md., shared $35,000 for the championship. As a pair, they have earned $1,605,044, capturing six Australian, five Wimbledon, four United States and three French championships. Evert, of Boca Raton, Fla., and Turnbull, an Australian, were seeded seventh.
