AMERICAN number one Monica Seles beat Spain's Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-1 6-4 to take the Nichirei title in Tokyo yesterday - less than a week before their countries meet in the final of the Fed Cup.
Typhoon rains leaking in through the closed stadium roof forced half a dozen interruptions while workers dried the courts at Tokyo's Ariake Tennis Park.
Despite her victory, Seles concedes that circumstances will be different when Spain and the United States meet next week in Atlantic City for the Fed Cup.
"It will be tough. They are the defending champions," she said. "But I have a week to get ready, and I don't want to think about it (playing Sanchez Vicario) because I probably play Conchita Martinez first."
In the Nichirei final, Seles started aggressively and opened a 3-1 lead by breaking Sanchez Vicario's serve with a cross court volley and a couple of tough shots deep into the corners.
The fast moving Spaniard let two break points slip away in the fifth and seventh games. She then struggled for the rest of the first set.
In the second set, after an exchange of service breaks took the score to 4-4, Seles broke again and held service for the victory.
The finishing blow was a blast to the forehand corner that Sanchez Vicario couldn't reach.
