Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409190005
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: SPORTS EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press|
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Medium
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario's obsession with becoming No. 1, a yearning that led her to a sports psychologist and a new trainer six months ago, paid off Saturday in a stunning triumph of will over Steffi Graf in the U.S. Open women's final.
In a championship match that ranked among the best of the Open era, Sanchez Vicario repeatedly showed a refusal to lose even when Graf's shots seemed far out of her reach.
That never was more evident than in the last game, when she earned one of three match points by sprinting diagonally across the court in a desperate chase for Graf's dying drop volley. Lunging at the last moment, Sanchez Vicario scooped the ball as her racket scraped the ground and lofted a backhand lob over Graf's head into a corner.
It was that kind of effort, more than the sudden flare-up of Graf's sore back in the middle of the second set, that enabled Sanchez Vicario to turn a rout into a classic comeback and a 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory.
It was her first U.S. Open title, and she also became the first Spanish woman to win the championship in the 108-year history of the U.S. national women's singles. Two Spanish men, Manuel Santana in 1965 and Manuel Orantes in 1975, won the U.S. men's singles title.
Sanchez Vicario, 22, who won her second French Open title in June, earned $550,000 for the victory, giving her more than $7.3 million in career earnings. Graf, 25, picked up $275,000 to put her total prize money at $14.6 million.
The U.S. Open title proved Sanchez Vicario is not just a clay-court player and won't necessarily stay No.2 behind Graf for long.
``I won two Grand Slams and I have been so consistent, I can probably be [called] the best player of the year,'' Sanchez Vicario said. ``Steffi is still a great player, a great champion, and she is still No.1 by the computer rankings ...
``I don't know who is the best player, but I am very proud of what I did. Now I can say to everybody that I can also win on hard courts.''
In the men's semifinals, Andre Agassi beat Todd Martin 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to set up a title match today against Michael Stich, a 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) winner over Karel Novacek.
Graf, who missed a tuneup event before the Open because of back spasms related to a stress fracture, was brilliant in the first set.
Her shots were precise, winner after winner kissing the corners as Graf yielded only four points in the last five games and wrapped up the set in 22 minutes.
All Sanchez Vicario could do was race side to side in a futile chase. She tried outslugging Graf, but the result was forehands that soared over the baseline. When Graf missed on occasion, she did so by inches. When Sanchez Vicario missed, it was by yards.
Things began to change early in the second set when Sanchez Vicario broke Graf for the first time after losing her own serve, and tied the set at 2.
The flags atop the stadium were stretched stiff in the wind, but Graf's low, hard forehands had cut through the gusts with uncanny accuracy to that point. Suddenly, she was missing by inches and Sanchez Vicario was running her around with a clever combination of slow-paced and hard shots.
Fans could hear the sound of Sanchez Vicario's racket continually scraping the court as she used it for balance while changing directions, and they could hear her grunts and gasps on nearly every shot.
Graf, playing in silence as usual, was serving to tie the set at 4 when she wrenched her back on the second point, losing it on a running forehand that she hit wide crosscourt. Graf stopped play for a minute, knelt and bent to stretch her back, flexing it side to side. She managed to hold service, but looked uncomfortable, bending and stretching after several points.
Graf requested a trainer come on court during the next changeover, and she received a brief massage on her lower back. She also took anti-inflammatory pills.
But Graf never requested the trainer again, noting later ``there is nothing you can do. It is not going to get better. I have done all that I can to handle as much pain as possible. ... I am going to see the doctor next week and we are going to talk about how long a period I have to take off.''
Though Graf's back obviously bothered her, it could not fairly be considered an excuse for the loss. Nor did she claim such an excuse.
``It hurt for about two, three games real hard, then it was OK,'' Graf said. ``Then it started getting better, actually.''
by CNB