French Open Tennis Championships : Graf Overwhelms Soviets’ Zvereva, 6-0, 6-0, in Women’s Singles Final

Top-seeded Steffi Graf of West Germany, repeatedly pounding forehand winners, overwhelmed Natalia Zvereva of the Soviet Union, 6-0, 6-0, Saturday to win the most lopsided women’s singles final in French Open history.

Graf lost only 13 points and took only 32 minutes en route to her second consecutive French Open singles title. The previous worst defeat in the French women’s championships was in 1926 when Suzanne Lenglen of France defeated Mary K. Brown, 6-1, 6-0.

“I was in my best form today. I was hitting great shots,” said Graf, who dropped only 20 games in winning her second Grand Slam tournament this year.

“I think she was nervous today. It’s not easy to be 17 in a Grand Slam final.”

Graf was 17 years and 11 months when she won the French Open last year, but she looks much older and stronger than Zvereva, who turned 17 just six weeks ago.

The only other shutout in a Grand Slam women’s final was at Wimbledon in 1911, when Lambert Chambers defeated Penelope Boothby, 6-0, 6-0.

But Graf said she was surprised the victory came with so little trouble.

“Everyone was saying there was no way I could lose,” Graf said. “I told myself, you better watch out. I knew she had beaten Martina and so I had to be tough.”

The 13th-seeded Zvereva only once reached game point, at 40-30 when serving in the second game of the match. But Graf then reeled off three straight points to break her and went on to win the 17-minute first set, which was interrupted for an hour by rain. Zvereva never again won more than two points in a game.

“I didn’t play so good. She was too strong,” said Zvereva, who declined to address the center-court crowd, as is customary after a championship match. She explained later to reporters, “I know what to say, but I just can’t.” She then fled from the interview room in tears.

After the match, Graf sprinted to the box seats overlooking center court and jumped up to try to reach her father, Peter Graf.

He grabbed her outstretched arms and pulled her up for a swift victory kiss and lowered her to the court again.

Graf later offered a few words of consolation to Zvereva.

“I saw her in the locker room and I said, ‘I’m sorry about it and I hope you get better,’ ” Graf said. “She had a great tournament. Still, I’m sorry the way it went (so fast) today.”

In the men’s doubles, Emilio Sanchez of Spain and Andres Gomez of Ecuador, who were seeded fourth, won the title by beating second-seeded John Fitzgerald of Australia and Anders Jarryd of Sweden, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3.

In the mixed doubles final, Lori McNeil of the United States and Jorge Lozano of Mexico defeated unseeded Brenda Schultz and Michiel Schapers, both of the Netherlands, 7-5, 6-2.

In the men’s final today, Henri Leconte will try to become the first French man to win the singles title at Roland Garros since Yannick Noah in 1983. Leconte plays third-seeded and two-time French Open winner Mats Wilander.