He's the class of Newport grass

NEWPORT, R.I. -- It was music to his ears: the ping of the strings giving zing to a mighty, conclusive blow.

Though not as solemn as a Gregorian chant, the sound of the last blast of the afternoon signaled that a Gregorian champ was continuing his rule on the world's oldest lawn devoted to the game of tennis.

That would be Greg Rusedski, a man happier on grass than a Japanese beetle or even Roger Federer's cow, Juliette. It took him a mammoth final movement, a wild and suspenseful game of 12 minutes, 8 deuces, and 7 championship points, before he could get the pesky Vince Spadea off his long back to seize the Van Alen Cup, 7-6 (7-3), 2-6, 6-4.

Rusedski, a 31-year-old Canadian-born Brit, makes the international rounds on a lefthanded serve and a smile that was right after 1 hour 56 minutes yesterday. The smile broadens whenever he checks into Newport's venerable Casino, where he has won 16 of 17 singles encounters, and titles in 1993 and 2004 plus this one.

Standing 6 feet 4 inches, Rusedski can be murder, both spinning and speeding with a serve that was the fastest in the game at 149 miles per hour before Andy Roddick topped it in the 150s.

Spadea got only two points (one a double fault) against serve in the first set.

''I began reading it better in the second when I broke him twice," Spadea said. ''But when I had my real chance I couldn't hold him." Rusedski believed his foe gained confidence ''when I double-faulted three times to lose my serve for the first time."

Winning his third Hall of Fame Championship, No. 39 Rusedski caught up with the Casino's most recent triplers: Indian Vijay Amritraj in 1976, '80, '84, and Californian Don Budge, in the amateur days, 1935 and '37-38.

An Australian-American coalition -- Jordan Kerr from Adelaide and Jim Thomas of Canton, Ohio -- repeated its 2004 triumph in doubles, beating Americans Graydon Oliver and Travis Parrott, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5). On this 40th anniversary of the tie-breaker -- inaugurated here -- the sire, Jimmy Van Alen, would have been pleased that three of the day's five sets were breakers.

''This is a very good place for me. My 15th career title," said Rusedski, although it wasn't good at the start when an Italian qualifier, No. 251 Uros Vico, squeezed him, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Nevertheless, Rusedski has more wins on grass than any other colleague: 86 of 120 starts. Not that there's that much grass to be found on the tour, but where it grows, Rusedski shows. Although he would prefer one Wimbledon title to three Newports, of course, yesterday's collection of 52 grand was grand enough, and he hasn't given up on winning a major. ''That's what keeps you playing," he said. ''I'm looking forward to the US Open, where I've played well [1997 finalist to Patrick Rafter]. People have been writing me off since then, but I don't mind."

Spadea, a hustling, scrambling baseliner, has bested Rusedski only once in four shots, but that was big: 2000 Wimbledon, breaking out of his record 21-match losing streak.

In this, his fifth career final, No. 49 Spadea moved to winning position, smelling a second title, after a sizzling break for a 4-3 lead in the third. He did it in four points -- three winners plus a double fault, closing with two leaping volleys.

Two holds and the title was his. But Spadea tightened, missing four first serves and losing all four points, double-faulting on the last to 4-4.

Still, there was another chance at 30-all in the next game, wiped out by two of Rusedski's 19 service winners.

''I've never played a game quite like that last one," said Rusedski, and nobody could recall seeing one. ''As the match points went by, I was thinking about the last time I'd had so many -- three against [Nikolay] Davydenko in the Moscow final last October -- and I lost."

Back and forth excitingly the decisive 10th game swung. Spadea, on the brink, fought back gamely with the crowd of 3,557 loudly behind him. As he stretched it out, dodging two match points, Spadea lurched forward to an ad, erased by Rusedski's forehand. He had another ad after the third match point, canceled by a backhand, landing them at a fifth deuce. Three more match points eluded the champ, but on the last he finished with a backhand return/massive forehand combo.

Rusedski, who served nine aces (49 for the week) said the court, dried out and fast, favored him. ''What a week -- torrents, cold, then heat. We had everything but snow," he said.

That will come before he visits again to see if he can recreate the zings on strings of a Gregorian champ.