PARIS - Mary Pierce sent a patriotic centre court wild yesterday when she ended a 33-year drought for the host nation and won the French Open women's singles tennis crown by outclassing Spaniard Conchita Martinez 6-2, 7-5 in the final.
France has been waiting for a female champion since Francoise Durr triumphed over Lesley Turner, of Australia, in the 1967 final.
Sixth-seeded Pierce won her second Grand Slam singles title and her first since the 1995 Australian Open.
Canadian-born Pierce, 25, had hoped to end the poor French run when she made the final six years ago after dropping a record low of just 10 games en route, but she lost to Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in straight sets, having earlier beaten Steffi Graf, the top seed that year.
This time she made no mistake.
"I can't explain how I feel. It's just incredible. I'll never forget this," gasped Pierce, who raised both her arms in the air in triumph after sealing the title. She buried her head in her towel then rose, crossed herself and saluted the crowd.
"This was a dream today. It's truly incredible.
"It was a really difficult match for me today, especially in the second set, which was very close.
"There are so many emotions attached to this tournament for me. This is really something very special."
Pierce arrived in France in her early teens and came under the wing of the French federation, having spent the bulk of her childhood in North America.
"It was tough. I couldn't speak French. I cried every night," she recalled.
The win, in cool, overcast conditions, gave Pierce her second title of the year and the 15th singles success of her career.
She picked up a winner's cheque for 4.02 million francs ($1.26 million) while fifth-seeded Martinez takes home exactly half that sum for her efforts.
Martinez was desperately disappointed after failing to add another Grand Slam trophy to her 1994 Wimbledon title. She came to Paris on the back of a German Open title - her 32nd singles triumph.
"I was very nervous," Martinez said. "It was my first final at Roland Garros. When your game isn't there it's a little bit frustrating. She played really well. I started off very badly and I couldn't put her under any pressure at all. She was more aggressive.
"I want to congratulate Mary because she had a great tournament. Even though I lost today, I hope I have many more years in which to win here."
A super-confident Pierce dominated the opening set, during which she managed two breaks and lost just three points on her own service.
The second set was much more even, with games going virtually in sequence.
Pierce got the decisive break in the 11th game and then held her nerve and serve to seal the win on her third match point in 112 minutes.
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Tennis: Pierce darling of centre court
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