Of all the numbers illustrating the difference between Mary Joe Fernandez and Steffi Graf for today's French Open women's final, one statistic stands out: 10-0.
That is Graf's lifetime record against Fernandez.But Fernandez has revamped her game over the past few months and is playing the best tennis of her career, giving her perhaps her best chance to end the drought against Graf.
During the past week, the 21-year-old Floridian has beaten two of the players with winning records against her - Gabriela Sabatini and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. They had a combined 17-8 record against Fernandez.
Fernandez, the No. 5 seed, surprised 1989 champion and No. 2 seed Sanchez Vicario in the semifinals, 6-2, 6-2. She outlasted No. 3 Sabatini in a 3-hour, 36-minute quarterfinal, coming back from a 1-6, 1-5 deficit to win 10-8 in the third set.
Fernandez credits her coach, Harold Solomon, a former French Open men's finalist, for getting her to hit the ball harder and take chances.
"He convinced me that if I wanted to make the next breakthrough and if I wanted to start beating top players, that this was the way to go, that my old style wasn't really going to let me do that," Fernandez said.
She will need to be aggressive to have any chance against the top-seeded Graf. Fernandez had not taken a set from Graf until two weeks ago at the German Open, when Graf won 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
"She has a good shot if she goes out and plays the way she has been this week," Solomon said. "She knows she can win it. She's not as great an athlete as some of the others players. She's not a great retriever. She's got to be aggressive."
Graf said, "We had a tough run in Berlin just two weeks ago, a long tough match. The key will be probably my patience and to come in on the right moments."
It will be Fernandez's third Grand Slam final. She lost twice in the Australian Open final, to Graf in 1990 and Monica Seles in 1992.
"I think this tournament is bigger," Fernandez said. "For me it is very special."
If she wins, she will be the first American woman to capture the French Open title since Martina Navratilova in 1987.
Graf's semifinal victory over Anke Huber allowed her to reclaim the No. 1 ranking from Monica Seles, sidelined indefinitely after being stabbed in Hamburg, Germany, on April 30.
With Seles out, Graf hopes to equal her by winning her third French Open title. She won in 1987 over Martina Navratilova and shut out Natalia Zvereva in 1988.
It will be Graf's 19th Grand Slam final. A victory would be her 12th, which would tie her with Billie Jean King for fifth on the all-time Grand Slam singles list.
This year Graf is 20-1 on clay, losing only to Sanchez Vicario in Hamburg. Overall for the year, she is 39-4 with three titles. Graf's other losses have been on to Seles in the final of the Australian Open, Navratilova in Japan and Sanchez Vicario at Key Biscayne.
Fernandez has won one title this year and three for her career. She has a record of 28-6 for 1993.
The men's final Sunday will match Jim Courier against Sergi Brugera.
Courier moved to within one victory of his third straight French Open title Friday by picking apart serve-and-volley specialist Richard Krajicek 6-1, 6-7, (2-7), 7-5, 6-2.
While Courier will be on familiar ground, his opponent will be playing in his first Grand Slam final. Bruguera put on a devastating display of clay-court tennis to demolish Andrei Medvedev 6-0, 6-4, 6-2.
If Courier prevails he will join Bjorn Borg as the only player to win the French Open in three consecutive years. Borg won the title four straight times, from 1978-81, and six times overall.
"You can't mention me in the same breath with Borg yet," Courier said.
Bruguera, the No. 10 seed, is the first Spaniard to reach the French Open final since Manuel Orantes in 1974. The last Spaniard to win the title was Andres Gimeno in 1972.
Courier has beaten Bruguera in straight sets in their four previous meetings. Asked what he will need to do to beat Courier, the 22-year-old Spaniard said, "I lost to him four times, so I don't know how to do it."
Courier has won 20 straight French Open matches going back to 1991.