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Another Upset Lands Rubin in Final : Tennis: She defeats top-seeded Sanchez Vicario in semifinals at Manhattan Beach.

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From Associated Press

Chanda Rubin reversed years of futility against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario with a 6-3, 6-1 victory Saturday to advance to the final of the Acura Classic.

Rubin, ranked 22nd in the world, had never taken a set from the second-ranked Spaniard in five previous career meetings, including a quarterfinal loss in the French Open in May.

Rubin will play the winner of the night match between second-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain and unseeded Yayuk Basuki of Indonesia in today’s final at Manhattan Country Club.

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It was Rubin’s second upset in less than 24 hours in the $430,000 tournament. She defeated No. 3 Gabriela Sabatini 6-7 (0-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-0 in Friday’s quarterfinals.

“I was a little tired from last night, but when I got on the court the adrenaline kicked in,” said Rubin, who was the crowd favorite as the only American remaining. “This is definitely among my biggest wins. I really attacked well.”

Sanchez Vicario led 3-1 in the first set before the 10th-seeded Rubin reeled off five straight games to wrap up the first set.

“When I was down 3-1, it was only one break and I was thinking about coming back with a good service game,” she said.

Rubin moved out to a 3-0 lead in the second set when Sanchez Vicario lost her serve with her second double fault of the game. Sanchez Vicario converted 49 percent of her first serves compared to 62 percent for Rubin.

Rubin lost only 14 points in the second set, completing the victory in 66 minutes.

“Nothing worked for me today. I thought I would change some things, take more risks, but it was just not my day today,” Sanchez Vicario said. “I was always late getting to the ball. I really played bad.”

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