Nishikori shocks Blake in Delray final

DELRAY BEACH, Florida -- Teenager Kei Nishikori became the first Japanese man to win an ATP event in nearly 16 years when he came from a set down to beat top seed James Blake in the final of the Delray Beach International on Sunday.

The 18-year-old qualifier, who is ranked 244 in the world, shocked the American, ranked 12th, 3-6 6-1 6-4.

After an erratic first set, Nishikori found his range on service and his groundstrokes, forcing back the more experienced Blake with dynamic backhand winners.

Nishikori saved three break points in his first service game of the third set, then immediately broke Blake with a down-the-line backhand return.

The Japanese stayed focused in the closing stages and served out to love to wrap up an impressive triumph.

"I still can't believe it that I beat James Blake," the 18-year-old Nishikori told the crowd, which included a dozen Japanese fans chanting "Nippon! Nippon!" high up in the stands.

"I've only seen him on TV. This is my best tournament ever."

With the win, the 244th-ranked Nishikori is expected to move to a No. 122 ranking. He is the youngest player to win an ATP title since Lleyton Hewitt won Adelaide as a 16-year-old in 1998.

"Last night I couldn't imagine. I tried to imagine winning the final, but I couldn't do it," said Nishikori, whose parents watched the match on an Internet feed. "I was so nervous in the first set."

Shuzo Matsuoka was the last Japanese to win an ATP event when he triumphed in Seoul in April 1992.

In the doubles final, second seeds Max Mirnyi and Jamie Murray defeated the top-ranked team of Bob and Mike Bryan 6-4 3-6 (10-6).

The first win for the pairing completed a good day for the Murray brothers,

Andy won the singles title at the Marseille Open earlier on Sunday.

In the Brazil Open final there was also an upset.

Second-seeded Nicolas Almagro of Spain fought off a comeback attempt by countryman Carlos Moya to win 7-6 3-6 7-5 on Sunday.

It took Almagro 21/2 hours to defeat the top-seeded Moya in this seaside resort in northeastern Brazil and win a top prize of $77,300.

Almagro used a powerful backhand and several well-placed shots to beat the 31-year-old Moya, who appeared tired for much of the match. Moya's five matches in the tournament averaged two hours each.

The 23-year-old Almagro has now won three career ATP titles. E-mail to a friend