TENNIS ROUNDUP : Courier Gets Top Ranking, but Chang Gets Top Check

The No. 1 ranking went to Jim Courier, but the Volvo San Francisco championship went to second-seeded Michael Chang.

Having already secured the top ranking in the world, Courier was beaten by Chang, 6-3, 6-3, Sunday in the final of the $260,000 indoor tournament at the San Francisco Civic Auditorium.

“Michael played really well and didn’t allow me to play like I wanted to,” Courier said. “I feel relaxed (about being No. 1), but obviously I’m disappointed that I could not come through and close out the tournament.”

The top-seeded Courier earned enough points to surpass Stefan Edberg of Sweden in the ATP rankings by making the finals of the indoor tournament. Courier said he did not believe he suffered a letdown after earning his No. 1 ranking.

“It was Michael more than anything,” Courier said. “He ran down a lot of balls. Some balls that I didn’t expect to come back came back--and came back deep.”

Monica Seles needed only 54 minutes to defeat Mary Joe Fernandez, 6-0, 6-3, and defend her title in a women’s tournament at Essen, Germany.

The top-ranked Seles, using pinpoint passing shots, won the first nine games before Fernandez made a brief run by winning the next three games.

Seles, though, kept the seventh-ranked Fernandez on the run and easily won the next three games to win at Essen for the third time. Seles won $70,000.

Local favorite Omar Camporese defeated doubles partner Goran Ivanisevic, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, to win an upset-filled indoor event at Milan, Italy.

Second-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia had 12 aces and overpowered third-seeded Laura Gildemeister of Peru, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, to win a women’s tournament at Amagasaki, Japan.