It's Graf for Seventh Time and a First for Longshots

By JULIE CART

July 7, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

WIMBLEDON, England —

At this time last year, women’s tennis was expectantly awaiting the return of Monica Seles and fighting over what ranking she would be given. On the eve of yet another final between Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, it was thought that Seles would be the player who might break Graf’s stranglehold on the game.

What Seles’ tentative return proved is that most of the time only Graf has any bearing on whether she will win or lose a match. Sanchez Vicario knows this well, having been Graf’s foil during the more than two years of Seles’ absence.

Sanchez Vicario still hasn’t solved Graf. The Wimbledon women’s singles final on Saturday revisited the same ground as the 15 previous times the two had met in a tournament final. Despite the repetition, and Graf’s dominance--she’s 28-8 against Sanchez Vicario--they eagerly anticipate each matchup. Sanchez Vicario does not quit and Graf does not like to lose.

On a portentously sunny day on Centre Court, Graf defeated Sanchez Vicario, 6-3, 7-5, to win her seventh Wimbledon title.

It was also her 100th career title and her 20th Grand Slam tournament title--second only to Margaret Court’s 24. With Graf’s steely will and her current lack of opposition, that record is under peril.

“If you beat her, you beat the best player in the world,” the third-ranked Sanchez Vicario said. “She is making history.”

Even Graf, who rarely chooses to view her career in a historical perspective, is beginning to appreciate her own accomplishments.

“It didn’t catch me until I went to the locker room,” Graf said. “Winning seven Wimbledons--it is something I never imagined I would be able to do, that I would be capable of doing. You can’t put it into words, always being able to rise to the occasion. To see myself in a place of history, it’s a little to early to do. I think it’s remarkable, winning the 20th Grand Slam.”

Graf, 27, is even beginning to allow public glimpses of her joy in winning. When she received the winner’s trophy, the Venus Rosewater Dish, from the Duchess of Kent, Graf clutched it to her chest and beamed. As each injury and heartache presents itself to her, the more Graf cherishes her titles.

When Sanchez Vicario playfully snatched the dish from Graf and theatrically buckled under its weight, she may have been revealing something more symbolic.

Sanchez Vicario, for all her indomitable traits, does not bear well under the weight of a Grand Slam tournament final. She has lost four of the last six finals. In 1995, alone, Sanchez Vicario was the runner-up in three of the four Grand Slam events.

By no means is Sanchez Vicario complacent about losing to Graf, but consistent thumpings have made her a better loser and may have chipped away at her belief that she can beat Graf. The last time the two met was last month in the French Open final. Sanchez Vicario twice served for the match but Graf came back to win.

It was Sanchez Vicario who had to make a late charge Saturday.

Even though rain interrupted the pre-match warmup, miraculously no rain fell during the match.

Graf got off to her usual fast start, although she had two break points against her first service game. She broke in the fourth game and that margin was enough to win the set.

The match was beginning to look like a disappointing reprise of last year’s final, which was a classic and included one game that lasted 20 minutes and held 32 points.

There was none of that tension, at least in the first set. Sanchez Vicario, who had not faced a seeded player until Graf, was trying to serve and volley but was stymied by Graf’s forehand.

“She played very deep today and it was very hard to get to the net,” Sanchez Vicario said. “If you don’t play it deep enough, then she can take control of the ball. I think never in the tournament was she playing her forehand this good so close to the lines.”

Graf broke in the first game of the second set and again in the third game and suddenly it looked as if things were slipping away. Sanchez Vicario sat down during the changeover and buried her face in a towel. Whatever mental regrouping she managed, Sanchez Vicario came out and broke Graf in the next game and put Graf in the position of serving for the match.

To the shock of most observers, Graf blew it. She doubled-faulted twice and avoided two break point but fell to the third.

Sanchez Vicario was suddenly even in the set, serving at 5-5, but a combination of Graf’s pressure and her own nerves conspired to bring about a service break. Graf held to win.

Graf did not say it was her most satisfying win but the most unexpected. An injury to her left knee prevented Graf from playing in a warmup tournament and a virus she developed early last week kept her from practicing much between matches. “There was a lot of joy inside of me,” Graf said of her feelings right after the match. “I felt physically I wouldn’t get through [the tournament] all the way.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Facts and Figures

WIMBLEDON WOMEN’S SINGLES PAYOUTS

* Loser of the first round--$7,412

* Loser of the second round--$11,920

* Loser of the third round--$19,680

* Loser of the fourth round--$36,400

* Quarterfinalists--$69,168

* Semifinalists--$134,240

* Runner-up--$282,400

* Winner--$564,800

MOST WIMBLEDON TITLES (WOMEN)