Blake takes Sydney title in Aussie tuneup

SYDNEY, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Third-seeded American James Blake beat unseeded Spaniard Carlos Moya to defend his title at the Medibank Sydney International.

In the final tuneup for the Australian Open, Blake topped Moya, 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, to become the third player to win two straight titles at Sydney.

Australian Lleyton Hewitt did it twice and American Pete Sampras did it once.

Despite the loss, Moya still leads Blake, 5-4, in head-to-head competition.