■ NEW YORK, Sept

•; Monica Seles •lammed Martina Navratilova on Saturday to win the US Open tennis championship and finish her Grand Slam peaaon unbeaten, reports Reuter.

Seles added the US crown to her Australian and French Open triumphs but her perfect record Includes a glaring omission. one the 17-ycar-old Yugoslav ts determined to "'"'"Wimbledon will be the most importdht for me next year." said Seles after beating Navratilova 7-S. 6-1 in the women * final at the National Tennla Centre. “It's the only one miaalng from my collection.'

Selca said she skipped Wimbledon because of shin splints and a stress fracture tn her right teg. It was a dectsio* she says she does not regret but one that might well haunt the vliractous teenager.

"1 know whenever 1 look back to the 91 season It will be there, but I can't erase it. If 1 were to have lo play Wimbledon. I don't think I could have played the Open," said Seles, who raised her 1991 Grand Slam match record to 21-0.

Seles was nearly as perfect against Navratilova as she claimed the 4.00.000-dollar first prize and the women's number one ranking from Steffi Graf, Navratilova's victim in the semifinals.

The Yugoslav, who pounds groundstrokes with a ferocity unmatched fn women's tennis, committed only four unforced errors in defeating four-time Open champion Navratilova, who at 34 Is twice the age of the winner.

' Monica saved her best for last. She played awfully well,' said Navratilova, who was seeking to match Chris Evert Lloyd's record of 157 career titles.

After a tense first set where both players held serve throughout, Seles stunned Navratilova with a succession of sizzling passing winners that lifted her to a 7-1 decision tn the tiebreaker.

Seles also raised her game In a critical tiebreaker on Saturday when she won the last four points to eliminate 15-ycar-old Jennifer Capriati tn the semifinals.

The crushing tiebreaker Inspired Seles and deflated Navratilova, who was broken three times in the final set.

Seles, who failed to convert on four break point opportunities tn the first set, wasted no time in pressing her advantage In the second set

She broke Navratilova at love in the first game and again at 15-30 in the fifth game when she ripped a two-handed backhand winner down the line deep into the corner. The Yugoslav held at lovb for 5-1 and then finished with a break in the last game when the frustrated Navratilov meekly netted a forehand to end it.

The victory for Seles, in the first ever all-lefthanded Open women’s final, capped off a sensational year for the Teenager. The Yugoslav has reached the final of all 11 tournaments she entered, winning six of them.

NaVratI16va received 2.00,000 dollars as runner-up.

"1 played three tough matches in a row and it definitely took its toll." said Navratilova who reached the final after three-set wins over top seeded Graf, fourth seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and lOth-seedcd Manuela Maleeva-Fragnlere.

"I wasn’t seeing the ball as well as 1 have been the whole tournament." Navratilova said. — AFP photo "1 was half a step slower than yesterday."

Missing Wimbledon kept Seles from a chance at sweeping the Grand Slams, but the Yugoslav, happy that her health and form have returned, remained exuberantly optimistic about her future Grand Slam chances.

"if I can do it three times this year, I can do it four times next year," Seles said.