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AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
PARIS, June 5: Steffi Graf staged one of the great fightbacks of her long and glorious career to beat teenager Martina Hingis in three drama-charged sets today and won the French Open women's singles title for a sixth time.
Graf, who turns 30 in a few days, beat top-seeded Hingis 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in 2 hours 25 minutes after being within three points of defeat at the end of the second set.
It was the German veteran's 22nd Grand Slam title, leaving her just two short of the all-time record held by Australian Margaret Court.
Graf was playing in her first grand slam final since 1996 -- and she turned back the clock to her glory days after two years in which she has been plagued by injuries.
Playing at Roland Garros for the 16th time, Graf was the crowd favourite as a testy Hingis was given a warning and later a point penalty for disputing a line call.
Graf became the first player in the open era to beat the top three players in the world at the same event and only Chris Evert, with seven, has won moreFrench titles.
Hingis, just 18, had been bidding for the sixth Grand Slam title of her career and the only Slam title to have eluded her -- and she served for the match at 5-4 in the second set before Graf launched her remarkable recovery.
Graf was playing in a record-equalling ninth singles final at Roland Garros but fell behind in a match delayed by rain and then played in difficult blustery winds on the slow red clay.
It was the first title of the year for the German and ended a run of 20 wins in 21 matches for Hingis.
Graf picked up $ 604,000 for her win and will move back up to third in the new WTA Tour rankings list her highest ranking since she lost the number one spot in march, 1997. Hingis earned $ 302,000.
Graf has now won seven of her nine career meetings with Hingis.
The young Swiss player got off to a flying start, breaking Graf in the first game and then holding for 2-0.
The German, who had a far tougher route to the final, got back to 2-2 but the young Swiss player then pulledaway by winning three straight games, including two breaks of serve.
Hingis kept the ball deep, using power inconsistent with her slim frame. Although Graf did get back to 4-5, Hingis served out for the set -- sealing it on her fourth set point.
Hingis moved into a 2-0 lead in the second set, but then become involved in a dispute over a shot she believed was good and was called out.
Hingis, dubbed the smiling assasin for her toughness, was given a point penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after she went to the other side of the net to point out where she thought the ball had landed -- and then demanded the tournament referee be called.
Graf held that game for 1-2 but Hingis held for 3-1 as Graf began to make backhand errors and Hingis took opportunity to take the ball early and dictate the points.y
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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