TENNIS ROUNDUP : Courier Overcomes Chang to Win at Japan, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4

Jim Courier won a battle of French Open champions, beating Michael Chang, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, Sunday to win the Gunze World Tournament at Osaka, Japan.

Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina defeated Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 to win the women’s title for the third consecutive year.

Sabatini jumped to a 3-0 lead in the tiebreaker before double-faulting twice. A volley by Sabatini and a winning lob by Maleeva made it 4-3, but Maleeva netted two shots. Sabatini took the set with a lob and coasted through the second set.

Chang, the 1989 French champion, and Courier, the 1990 French winner, battled on even terms until Courier broke Chang in the ninth game of the final set, then held serve to win the two-hour match.

Bryan Shelton won his first tournament title, beating Javier Frana, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, in the final of the $150,000 Hall of Fame Championships at Newport, R.I.

Shelton, ranked 147th in the world, became the first black American to win a singles title in North America since Arthur Ashe won in Los Angeles in 1978.

“It’s exciting and it’s an achievement I’m proud of,” said Shelton, 25, who won $21,600.

The turning point for Shelton was the second game of the second set when he saved two break points. He took control in the first game of the third set by breaking Frana’s serve.

Mary Pierce, ranked 91st in the world, upset Sandra Cecchini, 6-0, 6-3, to win a $75,000 tournament at Palermo, Sicily. The title was the first for Pierce, 16, who was born in Canada and lives in France. She earned $13,500.

Emilio Sanchez of Spain beat Davis Cup teammate Sergi Bruguera, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, to win the Swiss Open at Gstaad.

Top-seeded Bruguera, who lost in the Swiss final for the second consecutive year, was bothered by a strained stomach muscle.

Second-seeded Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden routed eighth-seeded Alberto Mancini of Argentina, 6-1, 6-2, to win the Swedish Open at Bastad.