Kuerten's Mexican masterclass

Kuerten underlined his clay-court pedigree on Sunday

World number one Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil outclassed Spaniard Galo Blanco on Sunday, sweeping to a 6-4 6-2 victory in the Mexican Open final to capture his second straight title.

Top-seeded South African Amanda Coetzer won the women's tournament.

The 26-year-old clay-court specialist, who won the Buenos Aires Open last week, cruised to the title in Acapulco.

He was only stretched by fellow Brazilian Fernando Meligeni, who was forced to retire early in their third set with an injury.

Kuerten, the French Open champion, said Sunday's final against Blanco, who had upset third seed Carlos Moya in the semis, was harder than the score suggested.

"It looks easy, but it was an intense game. Fortunately I played well and felt at home," Kuerten said after receiving his $130,000 prize.

Stormed back

In the women's tournament, Coetzer rallied to beat second seed Elena Dementieva of Russia 2-6 6-1 6-2.

Dementieva, who had reached the final without dropping a set, looked impressive while winning the first set in barely 27 minutes.

But the 11th-ranked Coetzer, 29, stormed back, dominating the 19-year-old over the next two sets.

"I stopped committing errors and focused more on my balance, because she is very tough," Coetzer said.