Top Seed Upset In Finals

Conchita Martinez established herself as the favorite for the French Open when she won her fourth straight clay court tournament, beating Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the Italian Open.

Martinez overwhelmed her Spanish rival 6-3, 6-1 to win her third consecutive Italian Open. The victory came at the expense of the player who will regain the No. 1 ranking in the world from Steffi Graf when the new WTA rankings come out today.

Martinez, No. 4 in the world, said she could not recall such a strong performance, particularly in the second set.

“It was a great match,” she said. “I played very aggressive tennis and tried not to make mistakes and not to rush.”