TENNIS ROUNDUP : Martinez Finally Stops Top-Ranked Graf for a Title

Conchita Martinez ended a nine-match losing streak against Steffi Graf, defeating the world’s No. 1-ranked player, 6-3, 6-3, Sunday to win the Virginia Slims of Philadelphia.

Martinez, ranked fourth in the world, targeted Graf’s backhand and charged the net for a victory that earned her $150,000.

“You can’t imagine how happy I am,” Martinez said after the 1-hour 17-minute match.

Graf, the defending champion, was playing in her first tournament since foot surgery in October.

“There wasn’t much I could do today,” Graf said.

The victory was Martinez’s 19th singles title. She has won this year at Brisbane, Houston, the Italian Open and Stratton Mountain.

Graf earned $67,500, increasing her earnings for 1993 to $2,571,337, which is $51,015 short of the record for one-year earnings set last year by Monica Seles.

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Pete Sampras overwhelmed Magnus Gustafsson, 6-1, 6-4, to win the European Community Championships at Antwerp, Belgium.

Sampras, the No. 1 player in the world, earned $155,000 in winning his eighth title this year.

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Marc Rosset defeated Patrik Kuhnen of Germany, 6-4, 6-3, to defend his Kremlin Cup championship at Moscow. Russian President Boris Yeltsin, a avid tennis player, watched the final.

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Carlos Costa won singles and doubles title at the South American Open in Buenos Aires, becoming the fifth person this season to sweep championships at an IBM/ATP Tour event.

Costa defeated Alberto Berasategui, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, and then teamed with Tomas Carbonell to defeat Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez, 6-4, 6-4.