ROME: Resurgent Gabricla Sabatini landed her third women’s Halian Open Tennis Championship in four years when she topped world No.1 Monica Seles in Straight sets in Sunday’s final.

The Argentine second seed in brilliant form all week won the rain-interrupted match 6-3 6-2 to add to her Italian titles of 1988 and 1989

“I feel very happy. It was difficult but I think the rain favored me” said Sabatini who during recent months found the consistent winning formula missing from her game.

“Sabitini played a fantastic match” said Yugoslav Seles a popular champion here last year.

Sabatini clinching her fifth title of 1991 dropped only 13 games in her five matched in Rome where she has enjoyed support from a large and vociferous group of fans.

Sabatini broke the Yugoslav in the fifth and seventh games of the opening set winning many of her points by pinning Seles to the baseline with a variety of strokes to both comers before chipping short.

Seles had a break of serve before rain halted play for 80 minutes with Sabatini leading 5-3 and trailing 30-15 on the Yugoslav’s serve.

The Argentine came back on court to break Seles again and clinch the set in 45 minutes.

Sabitini raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set only for Seles in a brave bid to reverse her fortunes to pull back two games with the aid of a service break.

But Seles’ third double fault of the match allowed Sabitini to hit back with a break.

After twice going to deuce to hold her service Sabatini reached match point with Seles serving at 30-40 and did not let the chance slip forcing a hurried shot by the Yugoslav that went wide

Seleshad beaten Sabatiniin three of their previous four meetings including this year’s Key Biscayne Players’ Championships final.

The Yugoslav has reached the final in all seven Women’s Tennis Association tournaments She has played in 1991 but won only three.

Seles preparing to defend her French Open title in Paris later this month said she was warned wet weather might continue to plague the European clay court season.

“The interruption was good for me” US Open champion Sabatini losing Italian finalist in 1987 said. “It was getting difficult in the first set she was coming up (to the net)” Sabatini said.

Article extracted from this publication >> May 31, 1991