BOULDER - It was a subtle celebration. Both arms quickly thrust skyward. But no flopping on the court.

Cory Ross explained his reaction moments after beating Lewis Miller 6-0, 6-2 to take the Babolat Boulder Open men's singles title and become the first winner of the "Colorado slam" (the state's four major tennis tournaments) since 1967.

"It's a good feeling. Not a sense of relief. Just a sense of accomplishment to do something that hasn't been done in a long time," Ross said.

Match point fittingly came when Ross crushed a service return just out of reach of a stretching Miller and inches from the corner.

Ross, 25, tries to start strong, apply constant pressure, remain patient and make his opponent beat him. It worked again Sunday at the Millennium Harvest House.

"He trusts his fitness," said Miller, who just turned 36. "He doesn't have to go for points early. He can sit back and make eight or nine shots before going for a winner. I thought he played very, very smart (Sunday).

"I thought I moved OK, but he just hits that big (heavy) ball. Hats off to him. It's very impressive how he's played all summer."

Miller later teamed with Ross to win the men's doubles title.

Ross finished his slam run 17-0. Skeptics insisted the tournament fields weren't as tough as last season, when Jeremy Wurtzman (twice) and Bart Scott (once) eliminated Ross. Neither has played in Colorado this summer.

"I understand that," acknowledged Ross, citing both players were coming off the pro tour. "I'm playing better than I have in my life. I'd love to play those guys right now.

"(Their absence) doesn't take away from the accomplishment."

The women's final was a baseline battle in which Millennium Harvest House pro Debra Streifler outlasted University of Northern Colorado sophomore Tabatha Knop 6-3, 6-3, using great defensive shots and some faulty service by the former Colorado Class 5A No. 1 singles champion.

Streifler, a 23-year-old who had an 86-37 singles record at the University of Michigan, overcame some first-set back problems, a fall on the first point of the second set and a torrent of deep shots by Knop, 20.

Match point was a stretch volley by Streifler that clipped the top of Knop's racket. She won the first set with perhaps her best shot, a backhand passing shot.

"I just had a bad serving day," Knop said. "It happens. But she played well. I was hoping to (wear her down), but she played great defense and I missed a few shots I should have had."

Streifler lost the first two games of the second set but wasn't thinking about a match with Knop last month when she won a first-set tiebreaker, then dropped two sets.

"I tried not to let that (thought) creep in but just tried to stay in the moment and have fun," said Streifler, who teamed with Tina Samara to win the women's doubles and with Al Polonyi to take the mixed doubles title.