Tennis Roundup : Sanchez Vicario Reaches Final by Beating Sabatini

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain fought back from a first-set loss and a 1-5 deficit in the second set Saturday to beat Gabriela Sabatini for the first time in eight matches and advance to today’s final of the Canadian Women’s Open at Toronto.

She will play Martina Navratilova, who defeated Anne Minter, 6-0, 6-2.

Sanchez Vicario defeated the second-seeded Sabatini, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, winning six consecutive games in the second set. Sanchez Vicario had only won one set against Sabatini in her previous matches.

Sabatini suffered a cramp in her right hand in the eighth game of the second set when she failed to capitalize on match point. On several changeovers, she iced her hand and her forehand lacked crispness for the remainder of the match.

“It never happened to me before and I was a little scared,” Sabatini said. “I was going to hit a forehand and I just couldn’t. I couldn’t win it (match point) and the cramp came and went in the third set.”

Navratilova won the first eight games of her match before Minter finally held in the third game of the second set. Navratilova broke for a 4-1 lead, but Minter broke back for 4-2.

“I had a game point down 4-2 in the second set and I lost it. By that point, I was out of it,” Minter said. “It’s no disgrace losing to the No. 2 player. That’s the best she’s played against me.”

Top-seeded Ivan Lendl overcame a strong challenge by No. 6 Andrei Chesnokov and Mikael Pernfors won in straight sets to advance to today’s final of the Hamlet Challenge Cup at Jericho, N.Y.

Lendl won, 7-5, 7-6 (10-8), and unseeded Pernfors defeated Jim Courier, 6-4, 6-1.

Lendl had to rally in each set as he prepared for the U.S. Open, which starts Monday.

“I’m not worried. I’m looking forward to the Open. It will be fun,” said Lendl, the world’s top-ranked player who has reached the last seven U.S. Open finals and won from l985-87.

“I couldn’t adjust to the sun for a while. I also never played Chesnokov before. But I got the points when I needed them. I should have put him away when I had him 4-2 in the second set.”