Andre Agassi has earned his third title of the year beating Jan&ndashMichael Gambill 7&ndash6 4 6&ndash1 6&ndash0 to

Andre Agassi has earned his third title of the year, beating Jan–Michael Gambill 7–6 (4), 6–1, 6–0 to win the Ericsson Open.
Seeded third, Agassi became the tournament’s first four–time men’s champion. After surviving a close first set, Agassi dominated every phase, serving well, keeping fellow American Gambill away from the net and controlling the baseline rallies to sweep the final nine games.Agassi won the Australian Open in January and the Indian Wells title two weeks ago, and he’s a runaway leader in this year’s ATP champions race. Marat Safin of Russia will overtake Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil for No. 1 in the 52–week rankings Monday, with Agassi third and Gambill climbing to a career–best 16th.The No. 19–seeded Gambill recovered from an early 2–0 deficit, serving well to reach 6–6. But he committed two unforced errors in the tiebreaker, and that opened the door for Agassi, who took the set with a forehand winner and service winner on the final two points.From there the rout was on.

Gambill saved five match points on his way to the final, but Agassi put him away on the first one Sunday, ripping a forehand crosscourt winner.”I definitely ran into a tough guy today,” Gambill said. “He didn’t make any errors – I don’t know what that was about.”Agassi, who turns 31 on April 29, became the oldest Key Biscayne men’s champion. He also won the title in 1990, 1995 and 1996.Agassi earned dlrs 444,000. Gambill won dlrs 233,000 for reaching his first Tennis Masters Series final.The men and women both staged all–American finals for the first time since the inaugural year of the tournament in 1985. Venus Williams overcame eight match points to edge Jennifer Capriati 4–6, 6–1, 7–6 (4) for the women’s title Saturday..

French wine producers are dumbing down their wine for the British in an attempt to wrestle back their falling market share from the Australians. French wine producers are dumbing down their wine for the British in an attempt to wrestle back their falling market share from the Australians.
The French have decided to take action as Britain’s increasing number of wine drinkers turn their noses up at traditional European labels in favour of a new world Merlot or Chardonnay. By Christmas sales of Australian wine are expected to pull ahead of French, despite being about a pound a bottle more expensive.In a move that could be seen as a capitulation to Australian brand marketing methods, Sacha Lachine, a well-known French producer, has launched a new range of blended “New World style” wines.Mr Lichine, who inherited his vineyard from his father, said: “We did taste trials to discover what the British want and overwhelmingly it is fruit and softness up front, which is a New World characteristic. Perhaps their palates are relatively uneducated, but the market is the market.”Hazel Murphy, chief executive of the Australian Wine Bureau in Europe, said: “People see Australian wines as being accessible ­ they understand them.

The names are in English, the grape varieties are on the bottle and that’s all part of it. People don’t really understand very much about wine so it needs a bit of demystification.”A second French producer, Boutinot France, has also taken to imitating Aussie-style branding and brash humour, first with Old Git ­ a blend of Terret and Sauvignon grapes ­ then Old Tart The company denies dumbing down. “We did it to create an accessible and amusing product,” a spokesman said.. A patients’ pressure group has angrily dismissed as a “sham” an inquiry report published today that reveals one of Britain’s leading hospitals discriminated against children with Down’s syndrome. A patients’ pressure group has angrily dismissed as a “sham” an inquiry report published today that reveals one of Britain’s leading hospitals discriminated against children with Down’s syndrome.
The 18-month independent study will say that some doctors at the Royal Brompton Hospital discriminated against disabled children by considering the future demands placed on their parents before deciding on a course of treatment.The inquiry into the cardiac surgery department at the London hospital was chaired by Ruth Evans, the former head of the National Consumer Council, and was launched in 1999 after allegations from 49 families whose children were being treated for congenital heart disease at the hospitals.

The report is expected to say that doctors did not “focus sufficiently on what was in the best interests of the child as the patient”. However, it did not call for any doctors to be disciplined, the hospital said.The report was criticised by some parents, who said the inquiry had failed to penetrate the inner workings of medical decision-making and had not made anyone accountable. They called for a public inquiry into their concerns and the resignation of the chief executive of the trust, Mark Taylor.Josephine Ocloo, chair of the Brompton and Harefield Heart Children Action Group, said the report failed to address accusations of medical negligence. She said: “As parents we feel we have been lied to and tricked into participating in this sham of an inquiry, which bypasses our concerns almost entirely.