NEVER can the XL Capital Bermuda Open have staged a better final than the epic encounter that graced the green clay of Coral Beach last Sunday.

Good friends Luis Horna and Martin Vassallo Arguello gave the full house at Centre Court more than their money's worth with a scintillating display of no-holds-barred tennis.

Big-hitting Horna may have prevailed after a topsy-turvy third set, but it was the sheer courage of his opponent that was the active ingredient in the making of this classic.

Horna, the world number 59 and number one seed was a red-hot favourite, having swept aside opponents with a consistent serve and blistering groundstrokes, punctuated with expertly disguised drop shots.

But Vassallo Arguello made it clear from the start that he was not going to be drawn into any baseline slugfest that would have surely played into the hands of the shaven-headed Peruvian.

Instead he mixed it up, sometimes employing a serve-and-volley tactic rarely seen on clay. His game plan seemed to unsettle Horna, unaccustomed to seeing an opponent with the bravery to charge the net against his brutal hitting.

There was an early sign that the final was going to be something special when Vassallo Arguello leapt high in the air to not only reach a Horna smash, but to send it back with interest, serve-like, just over the net. Horna still managed to volley it back and win the point.

There were thrilling drop shot exchanges and some desperate hustling as both players showed a hunger to win and a propensity to entertain.

It was only fitting that the match went to a third set and it was then that Horna's temper started to rear its ugly head. At 2-1 up on his serve, Vassallo Arguello won successive points with outrageous net cords. After the second, Horna picked up the ball and with a yell of frustration belted it into the stratosphere.

At 3-1 down, it seemed the match was slipping away from Horna, but it was then that he finally hit his rhythm. Horna has an intimidating style, baring his teeth with each crushing blow with all the ferocity of an Inca warrior decapitating a conquistador.

His sheer intensity is exciting to watch ? when you're not on the recieving end ? and finally the onslaught proved too much for the valiant Italian.

The 23-year-old Horna, christened 'Jack' by some nursery rhyme aficionado on the bleechers, pulled out a plum of a backhand pass to earn the match point which he went on to convert into victory.

The tournament organisers could not have asked for a better way to cap an 11th successful tournament at Coral Beach, an event that has become an established favourite with the players.

Apart from a drop of rain which delayed the final, the weather was totally co-operative. Unfortunately that rain cut the time available for the Legends exhibition doubles match, featuring past greats John Lloyd, Ross Case, Tom Gullikson and Mikael Pernfors and the truly legendary Roy Emerson in the chair.

Their knock-about was everything an exhibition should be, with trick shots galore and wisecracks on court all played out to the drole commentary of umpire Emerson.

When Lloyd leapt to hit a smash, Emerson remarked: "Not much spring in those legs." And as Case sprinted desperately to try and retrieve a drop shot, Emerson chipped in with: "Take your time."

For the fans who hung around after Horna received the crystal trophy and a cheque for nearly $15,000, there was a further treat, in the shape of a three-set doubles final culminating in a tiebreak.

Australian Jordan Kerr and Belgian Tom Vanhoudt eventually out-lasted the Aussie duo of Ashley Fisher and Stephen Huss 8-6 in a third-set tiebreak to clinch the championship.

It was a magnificent finale to a spectacular week when the largely volunteer team of organisers and ballkids once again did Bermuda proud and left tennis fans to wander home loaded with memories ? and withdrawal symptoms.