Seles Right on Target as She Defeats Navratilova for Third Time in a Row

Monica Seles upset top-seeded Martina Navratilova, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), Sunday night to win the Virginia Slims of California.

The victory by the 16-year-old Seles, a Yugoslav citizen living in Sarasota, Fla., was her third in a row over Navratilova.

The second-seeded Seles, ranked third in the world, used blistering groundstrokes that had Navratilova, 34, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I think if there had been any paint on the lines the balls would have turned white,” Navratilova said. “I was always playing catch-up. She hits the ball so hard, once you’re on the defensive, you’re dead.”

Seles, the French Open champion and considered the world’s premier clay-court player, scored her first victory on an indoor carpet in capturing her eighth title of the year. She earned $70,000, twice what Navratilova won.

“I moved better this match than any other all week,” said Seles, who had been favoring a twisted ankle that had kept her off the tour for a month.