TENNIS Ferrero breezes to most lopsided win in 25 years in French Open men's final

Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero won his first Grand Slam championship.
PARIS (AP) -- Maybe Juan Carlos Ferrero was joking. Maybe he was giddy from winning the French Open. Or maybe he was putting the rest of the men's tour on alert.
When asked about his plans for the coming weeks, Ferrero grinned and said, "I'm going to win the tournament at Wimbledon, no?"
No one can begrudge Ferrero a little hubris in the wake of his performance Sunday. The stylish Spaniard won the most lopsided French Open men's final in 25 years, beating Martin Verkerk 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Ferrero accepted his first Grand Slam championship trophy in a ceremony that included Yannick Noah, whose only major title came at Roland Garros 20 years ago.
"Bravo, Juan Carlos," Noah said. "I hope he does better than me and doesn't stop here."
Might be a reach
Wimbledon might be a reach for Ferrero, given that he has yet to advance beyond the third round there. Spaniards traditionally have an aversion to playing on grass, and their last Wimbledon champion was Manuel Santana in 1966.
But now that Ferrero has gotten over the hump on clay, his first major title might not be his last.
Ferrero outplayed Verkerk from the start, stayed cool at the end and sank to his knees in relief after hitting one last winner for the title.
Ferrero said the No. 1 ranking is his No. 1 goal. He's third behind Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi, two former Wimbledon champions gearing up for another run there.
"I think Hewitt is my main rival," Ferrero said. "Agassi is getting older. Maybe in two years he'll think about retiring. There are other players you have to take into account also."
Verkerk is threat
One potential threat on grass will be Verkerk, a late-blooming Dutchman with a 125-mph serve.
Verkerk, who was ranked No. 170 at the start of last year, is projected to reach a career-best No. 15 in the new rankings this week.
He looked more like No. 170 in the final, playing without the verve he showed while winning six consecutive matches at Roland Garros.
Afterward, a chagrined Verkerk shook his head when told a Dutch super-model cheered for him from the front row. He never noticed her.
"Something good about today," Verkerk said, "and I don't see it."