Sanchez Vicario, Graf Will Also Determine No. 1

It may be predictable, and at times it has been dull, but the women’s side of the French Open has followed form, and its stars have managed to stay in the tournament.

Top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario will play No. 2 Steffi Graf in today’s final, and the winner will gain more than the title. For the first time since Wimbledon in 1987, the No. 1 ranking will be determined by the final of a Grand Slam tournament.

Neither player is at her best. Graf got a 2 1/2-hour test in her semifinal match against Conchita Martinez, and her stamina may be questionable.

Sanchez Vicario has been taking medication for a virus and was unable to eat for two days. “I’m not 100% but I am still in the final, so I feel very happy,” she said.

Graf has won the French Open three times, most recently in 1993. She has been limping through her matches to get to the final. A back injury and a strained calf muscle kept her out of this year’s Australian Open. And Graf takes the Grand Slam tournaments seriously. It has been nine years since she has failed to win at least one Grand Slam event.

Sanchez Vicario has also dealt with injury, for the first time in her 10 years on the WTA tour. An injured ankle kept her sidelined for a month. The Spaniard won here last year and in 1989 and is more comfortable than Graf on clay.

Graf has not lost a match this year and has lost only one set, but Sanchez Vicario has won three of their last four meetings. Graf leads overall, 24-8.