Gonzo Start For Gonzalez with ATP Auckland Title

The No. 5 seed, who is as well known for his forehand winners as his forehands hitting the backstop, fired on all cylinders all week, in the final overwhelming unseeded Belgian Olivier "The Roach" Rochus 6-4, 6-2.

"Some weeks I play good and some not. This was my week," said Gonzo, who will crack the Top 20 with the win. "I think I played almost perfect. I felt really good on the court today and I took every opportunity he gave me."

Rochus put in a stellar baseline display of his own during the week, culminating earlier with an upset of the top-seeded Guillermo Coria.

"I tried my best but I think today he was just too good," The Roach said. "He was just too strong and he was serving too good. Every shot was perfect."

It was the fifth career title for Gonzalez, with the Chilean earlier in the week announcing his intentions of qualifying for the year-end Masters Cup, which features the Top 8 players on the ATP Rankings.

In the doubles final the Swiss/German pair of Yves Allegro and Michael Kohlmann beat Simon Aspelin and Todd Perry 6-4, 7-6(4) for their first title as a team.