By Jennifer Frey
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, September 14, 1998; Page C1

NEW YORK, Sept. 13 – Patrick Rafter knew he would have to play well at the U.S. Open if he hoped to win his second straight men's title with a triumph over fellow Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final this afternoon. And the man with perhaps the prettiest game in men's tennis lived up to that expectation – and then some – with an almost immaculate performance at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Making just five unforced errors over the duration of the match, Rafter captured his second Grand Slam title, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0, over Philippoussis. It was the first all-Australian U.S. Open final since 1970 when Ken Rosewall beat Tony Roche-who was here today cheering on Rafter, his pupil.

"It feels a little bit different," said Rafter, who picked up another $700,000 winner's check, but had a subdued celebration in comparison to the outburst last year. "Obviously, last year I was jumpy, I was nervous, I was all over the place. This year, I feel that although I was lucky in the beginning, I felt as the matches progressed that I belonged here."

Despite dropping a set, Rafter's performance was otherworldly: He had no unforced errors in the third set, had 39 winners to go with five unforced errors overall, and he won the match's final 10 games. John McEnroe, a color analyst on the television broadcast, gushed about the near-perfection of Rafter's performance, and McEnroe should know: He had just two unforced errors in beating Jimmy Connors in the 1984 Wimbledon final, in what still stands as one of the greatest victories in modern Grand Slam play.

"You've got to hand it to Pat-five unforced errors in four sets, that's pretty impressive," Philippoussis said. "He's playing like the best player in the world."

Philippoussis, who is known for his fearsome serve, double-faulted for the 13th time on match point. Unseeded and only 21 years old, he was making his first appearance in a Grand Slam final, and he had to do so against a man who easily claimed the lion's share of support from the fans Down Under.

"There is a lot of support for Rafter back home because he is very, very popular," said John Newcombe, the Australian Davis Cup captain and a two-time U.S. Open champion, "and a lot of relief, I think, for Philippoussis, because he's been predicted to get to a Grand Slam for so long and has finally done it."

As a result of his victory, Rafter will ascend to the world No. 2 ranking Monday, with a shot at unseating No. 1 Pete Sampras before the end of the year. Sampras, who is hoping to finish 1998 with the No. 1 ranking for a record sixth consecutive year, pulled a quadriceps muscle in the third set of his semifinal match against Rafter Saturday and lost in five sets.

In addition to Sampras, the top seed here, Rafter beat No. 14 Goran Ivanisevic in the fourth round and No. 12 Jonas Bjorkman in the quarterfinals to reach the final in what was by far the tougher of the two men's brackets.

The prettiest points in today's match came when Philippoussis tried to run Rafter around the court, and, in doing so, simply succeeded in providing Rafter a showcase for his eye-popping mobility. With marvelous reflexes and the best net game in men's tennis, Rafter thrilled the crowd with his play even when the match did not feel all that competitive.

For the match, Rafter played one bad game, in the second set, to get broken and go down, 1-3. Philippoussis went on to hold serve throughout that set, which he won 6-3. Even then, though, he didn't survive without trouble. While serving for the set at 5-3, Philippoussis had three consecutive double-faults to go down 15-40 before he rallied to win four straight points and the set.

Indeed, Philippoussis's powerhouse serve simply did not exist in this match, and he ended with five aces – a paltry number for a man who hit 30 in a match earlier this tournament, and who averages in the double digits.

"I don't like to rely on my service game only," Philippoussis said. "But the service games I got broken, I had a lot of double-faults, and that puts a lot of pressure on me."

Philippoussis admittedly was nervous before the match, and though he described Rafter as "just another player out there," there was something to playing an all-Aussie final, particularly against Rafter.

Once doubles partners, Rafter and Philippoussis had a falling – out this past April, when Philippoussis declined to play a Davis Cup tie, citing his father's ill health, then arrived at the match via private plane. While Philippoussis watched, courtside, Rafter got sick and had to pull out of the second singles, and the Australians went on to lose to Zimbabwe.

Recently, though, relations between the two have defrosted – particularly since Philippoussis reached out to Rafter at a tournament in Cincinnati last month. Still, Philippoussis has been branded the black sheep in his nation, and some newspapers in Australia openly pulled for Rafter to win the final in today's morning editions.