TENNIS / PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIPS : Sanchez Vicario Makes Big Impression

All week long, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario threw herself headlong into her tennis because she had some things to prove.

First there was the visibility factor, which arose when she wasn’t requested for interviews after her first two matches at the Lipton International Players Championships.

She plunged ahead to try to dispel a notion that she was no factor on any court on which you couldn’t slide, get your socks dirty or wasn’t red.

So let the record show that Sanchez Vicario isn’t merely some forgettable, pudgy, baby-faced Spanish former clay-court champion of the world. For at least one day, Sanchez Vicario worked her way into the spotlight again, upsetting third-ranked Gabriela Sabatini, 6-1, 6-4, Saturday to win her first title of 1992.

Michael Chang plays Alberto Mancini today in the men’s final.

Although it wasn’t a victory of the magnitude of her 1989 French Open championship when she ambushed Steffi Graf in the final, Sanchez Vicario managed to serve notice that she doesn’t want to be overlooked any longer.

“Like I say, it’s not really fair talking more about all the other players all the time,” Sanchez Vicario said. “Maybe next time the people will change. Now, for sure, I think they will be talking about me and that makes me happy.”

What should have made her happy Saturday was how Sabatini played. Capable of playing great, as she did when she knocked out Graf in the semifinals, Sabatini also is capable of coming up with a clunker such as Saturday’s match.

Sabatini failed to hold serve in the first set, abandoned her serve and volley tactics, blew a break point chance for 5-4 in the second set, then blew a 40-15 lead in the final game and watched Sanchez Vicario rip a short cross-court backhand to end it.

Afterward, Sabatini had no clue what happened.

“I felt like I wasn’t very sure what to do on the court,” Sabatini said.

Of course, Sanchez Vicario had something to do with the outcome, Sabatini reasoned correctly: “She was not doing any mistakes.”

There were plenty of distractions for Sabatini, who called once for the trainer to check the tape on her ankles during a changeover. But there was nothing wrong with Sabatini’s hearing. She shot an angry stare at a small group of Sanchez Vicario supporters who sang a few bars of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” from the musical “Evita.”

“I don’t like that very much,” said Sabatini, an Argentine. “It is not funny, my country.”

Sanchez Vicario differed in her reaction.

“It’s fun . . . everybody cheer for her, maybe they try something for me,” Sanchez Vicario said. “I didn’t listen very much. I laugh first, then I concentrate on game.”

She began quickly and went ahead, 4-0, breaking Sabatini’s serve in the first and third games. After that, it was strangely routine--Sabatini stayed back and Sanchez Vicario out-hit her, then came in and was passed.

Sanchez Vicario’s critique: “You are a set down, you have to change.”

Still trailing Sabatini, 11-4, in their series, Sanchez Vicario holds a surprising 3-2 edge in their matches played on hard court.

Sabatini said Sanchez really doesn’t have to prove anything anyway, not to her.

“Arantxa has always been a good player, a tough player, no matter on clay or what,” Sabatini said.