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Thomas Muster had his day of "justice" Sunday, winning the Lipton Championships and making everyone who ever called him strictly a clay court specialist guilty of underestimating his pride and talent.

In weather fit only for a rain forest, Muster outslugged and outsteadied game-but-gimpy Sergi Bruguera 7-6 (8-6), 6-3, 6-1, then released enough emotion to nearly match the euphoria he felt three years ago after winning the French Open.

Raising his hands high before a full house on the stadium court, he reveled in the victory that was denied him in 1989. That year, just hours after he had beaten Yannick Noah to earn a Lipton final spot against Ivan Lendl, his left knee was crushed by a drunk driver's car.

"I was a bit emotional," said Muster, the No. 2 player in the world. "I think, after eight years, coming back here and being in the final.... I just felt it's the biggest justice I could have got, worth more than probably the $1 million I won in the lawsuit."

He tossed his racket on the changeover bench and dashed into the locker room, where he jumped into the shower to cool down after a brutally humid afternoon. Then he threw down two beers and rushed back on court for the award ceremony.

Bruguera, who had stunned No. 1-ranked Pete Sampras in Friday's semis, had his chances. He led 6-4 in the first-set tiebreak but made a horrible gaffe at 6-6. And when blisters on the bottom of his left foot broke open early in the second set, he was doomed.

"It started burning a lot. So much burning. I tried to put on two socks, but it was still burning," said Bruguera.

The trainer came out on the changeover with Muster leading 3-0 in the second set, and Bruguera was able to continue. But he wasn't running as hard and he seemed to lose his resolve.

It was the first time since 1989 an American was not in the final.

There wasn't a break point in the first 12 games as the two men swapped big serves and baseline-to-baseline ground strokes on even terms until Muster cracked on the tie-break's 10th point. He hit a double fault into the net to give Bruguera a 4-6 lead.

But the tall, topspinning Spaniard went for the home run on the next service return and hit wide for 6-5. He then slapped a ground stroke off the net cord, which stood up enough to let Muster bang away a winner. Bruguera had lost two set points.

Now at 6-6, Bruguera slammed an overhead into the right corner and Muster, correctly guessing, was there to retrieve it, tossing up a short lob. Bruguera could easily have angled the second overhead off to his right, but he slapped it down the middle. Muster was there again, at the back screen, jumping and getting just enough of his one-inch longer racket on the ball to waft it back.

The breeze caught the slow-moving ball and bent it over Bruguera's left shoulder. Rather than risk an overhead, he let it bounce and it came down on the left sideline near the net. Bruguera weakly put it into the net, giving the serve back to Muster at 7-6.

There would be no mistake this time. Muster hooked his lefty serve into the corner and, as Bruguera rushed back into position after the return, Muster hit behind him to the same spot for a winner and the set.

"I thought it was going out," Bruguera said of the crucial lob. "Maybe because I want it to. Then I was not ready to hit it well."

For years, Muster brooded over the Lipton. He had played only two years since the freakish injury - in 1993, when he reached the third round, and in 1996, when he went out in the second round.

In fact, for years he had stayed off the hardcourts as much as possible because he feared it would wear down his healing knee. The 1989 injury required surgery to reattach two severed tendons and untold hours of rehabilitation.

But when he cracked the world's top five in 1995, he realized he could not get to No. 1 without the crucial points that come with playing major hardcourt tournaments.

Redoubling his training, he reached a new level of fitness. He is now 21-3 for the season, all on hardcourts.

"I tell you, it was hot. I think it was about just taking the pain today," he said, summarizing the match. "Who can take it longer."

The air temperature was 93 degrees when the match began shortly after 1 p.m., and the radiant heating rising off the rubberized hardcourt was 106. The humidity was near 90 percent.

Muster's will to win obviously was stronger. "We play a high level in the first set, and I know I lose to him 11 times before [to three wins)," said Bruguera. "That was heavy in my mind. I was feeling so tired. I know after the first set I have to make three sets more to win. In my mind, I am going down. Muster is very tough."

In the first game of the second set, Bruguera found out just how tough. He hit a deft drop shot that Muster somehow got to. Bruguera tried to lob the retrieval back for a point, but he hit over the baseline.

That one shot sent a message to Bruguera that Muster would be out there running all afternoon. It was deflating.

After the fifth game of the second set, with Muster leading 4-1 Bruguera was so unfocused he forgot there was a changeover until he saw Muster heading for the bench.

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