Seles back in the old routine

Tennis

Monica Seles capped her sensational return to the women's circuit on Sunday by winning the Canadian Open title, 28 months after her career was curtailed by a madman in Hamburg

Comebacks in this sport have proved difficult for a succession of big names but Seles took it in her stride, emphatically erasing any doubts about her game and mental toughness with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Amanda Coetzer.

"I just can't believe it," Seles said after needing just 51 minutes to beat the unseeded South African. "Not playing for a long time and playing so well, it's really unreal. There are times, even today, when your mind starts going the other way. I have to go through a lot of stuff to get my mind where I want it to be."

The victory means that she did not drop a set in the tournament, and her 74 games in five matches broke the tournament record for the least number of games for a champion. Seles lost just 14 games and had her serve broken only twice in the five matches.

"She just played really well and didn't let me get into the match at all," said Coetzer, who knocked out Steffi Graf in the first round. "You got to a point where you are confused. I wasn't sure what to do."

It is now a real possibility that Seles could win the US Open, which starts next week, and she may also play in her first event outisde the United States since her return - the Brighton international in October.