TENNIS ROUNDUP : Leach, Pugh Show U.S. Davis Cup Status Is Valid

Rick Leach and Jim Pugh strengthened their Davis Cup credentials Sunday with a 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory over Ken Flach and Robert Seguso in the $300,000 WCT World Doubles Championship in Dallas.

Leach and Pugh, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in the world in men’s doubles, received the $100,000 first prize.

Flach and Seguso, who were displaced as U.S. Davis Cup doubles regulars last year by Leach and Pugh, received $60,000. It was only their third tournament together in five months, and the only one in which they won a match.

Flach and Seguso failed to capitalize on eight set points in the first set, four on Pugh’s serve at 4-5 and four in the tiebreak, which they led 6-2. Leach and Pugh won six points in a row to take that tiebreak 8-6.

After Flach and Seguso tied the match at one set apiece, Leach and Pugh captured the critical third-set tiebreak 7-4. Leach hit back-to-back pinpoint placements in the breaker for a 5-2 lead, and Seguso missed a volley on set point.

Top-seeded Monica Seles of Yugoslavia needed only 54 minutes to beat Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria, 6-1, 6-0, in the final of a $250,000 tournament at Largo, Fla.

Seles, who has won three consecutive tournaments and 15 consecutive matches, dominated from the baseline, hitting 32 winners to Maleeva’s nine.

“I wasn’t missing too many balls,” said Seles, who is ranked third in the world. “I know I have been saying all week that I wasn’t playing well. If I said that today, I would be lying.”

Seles allowed Maleeva no points on her serve during the first set and only six in the second. She broke Maleeva’s serve six of seven times and faced only one break point, which she saved with a backhand winner.

In the doubles final, the top-seeded team of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Mercedes Paz defeated Sandra Cecchini and Laura Gildemeister, 6-2, 6-0. Sanchez Vicario and Paz have played together for only two tournaments, winning both.

Juan Aguilera of Spain rallied to beat Guy Forget of France, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, to win a $260,000 tournament at Nice, France.

Aguilera earned $32,400 for his fourth singles title and Forget got $19,820.

Aguilera was ranked as high as No. 7 in the world in 1984. However, he has reached only six career finals.

Currently No. 51 in the world, he was the highest-ranked player left after the tournament lost all eight seeded players before the semifinals. Forget is No. 71.