TENNIS ROUNDUP : Graf Goes to the Forehand to Beat Seles

Now that she’s ranked No. 2, Steffi Graf is rediscovering the shots that once made her No. 1--at least against Monica Seles.

Graf completed a rain-delayed 7-5, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3 victory over the top-ranked Seles in Monday’s final of the women’s German Open at Hamburg.

“My confidence is growing. I know what I can do,” the 21-year-old German said. “And I have been working a lot on my forehand.”

That forehand is still one of the most formidable weapons in women’s tennis. But Graf’s confidence was shaken by a string of defeats, including a five-match losing streak against No. 3 Gabriela Sabatini.

Seles took over the No. 1 spot from Graf on March 11, snapping Graf’s record reign of 186 weeks. But the 17-year-old Yugoslav is 0-2 against Graf since then.

Michael Stich of Germany, the only seeded player in action at the men’s German Open in Hamburg, rallied to defeat Thomas Carbonell of Spain, 1-6, 6-3, 7-5.

Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl, the highest seeded players in the tournament, play their first matches today.

Fifteenth-seeded Magdalena Maleeva of Bulgaria lost, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), to France’s Julie Halard, and 14th-seeded Mercedes Paz fell to fellow Argentine Bettina Fulco, 6-1, 6-4, on the first day of the women’s Italian Open in Rome.

Nathalie Tauziat, seeded ninth and ranked 15th in the world, needed nearly three hours to beat Canadian qualifier Rene Simpson-Alter, 6-2, 6-7 (8-6), 6-4.

Fifth-seeded Jimmy Arias won his opening match at the U.S. men’s clay-court championships by beating Sweden’s Thomas Hogstedt, 6-3, 6-3, at Charlotte, N.C.

Unseeded Christian Saceanu of Germany, ranked 116th in the world, pulled the day’s biggest upset by beating sixth-seeded Scott Davis, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0.