The winner apologized. The crowd chanted the loser's name.
"Mon-ee-ka! Mon-ee-ka! Mon-ee-ka!"Monica Seles sat solemnly on center court, her inspiring run through the French Open over.
Arantxa Sanchez Vicario won her third title at Roland Garros on Saturday, defeating Seles 7-6 (7-5), 0-6, 6-2 in a soggy final that was delayed 31 minutes at the start by rain.
"I'm so sorry that I beat you. I don't think you are the one who deserved to lose," Sanchez Vicario told Seles as she accepted the silver championship trophy. "I have a lot of respect for you, especially with all that happened. . . ."
Seles, whose father died three weeks ago and whose ring she wore around her neck, stared straight ahead as the rain began falling again. Then she gathered herself, and thanked the fans.
"It's been so special coming back this year," she said.
Sanchez Vicario's victory assured a Spanish sweep of the singles titles. Spanish compatriots and close friends Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja play in the men's final Sunday.
It will be the second all-Spanish men's final in five years at the French Open. Sergi Bruguera defeated Alberto Berasategui for the 1994 title.
Seles has played in only five tournaments this year while shuttling between the tennis circuit and her family's home in Sarasota, Fla. She was at her dad's side when he died May 14 after a five-year battle with cancer.
Seles, who won the French Open three straight years starting in 1990, came to Roland Garros this year having not played in 10 days. But twice she rallied from a set down to advance to the semifinals, where she beat top-seeded Martina Hingis in straight sets.
"It's been really surprising where I've gotten these past two weeks," she said. "It's been obviously a very different two weeks, just because I was able to concentrate on tennis, which was a very nice feeling. I haven't had it for a long time."
Sanchez Vicario, who earned more than $600,000 for the victory, was playing in her sixth French Open final in 10 years.
Seles had a pair of service breaks in the first set, which included dramatic rallies marked by acrobatic saves from both players. But each time Sanchez Vicario immediately answered with a break of her own.
In the tiebreaker, Sanchez Vicario took a 5-1 lead as Seles appeared distracted by sounds off the court. She netted a service return when a rustling sound went through the stands, then hit a forehand wide as an ambulance's siren blared nearby.
Seles rallied to even the tie-breaker at 5-5, but then hit two forehands into the net - giving Spanish fans a chance to wave their huge flags and break into soccer songs.
But Sanchez Vicario won only six points in the second set, which Seles closed out with the only ace of the match.
In the third set, a tiring Seles began making more unforced errors. She let Sanchez Vicario rally from 15-40 on her serve to win the first game and stop Seles' streak, then lost her own serve.
Seles whiffed on a drop shot in the second game, hitting the ball halfway to the net. It was one of several unsuccessful drop shots by Seles in the match.
Sanchez Vicario got to match point by making another of her remarkable running saves, lofting a sky-high lob that landed softly a foot inside the baseline. Seles hit it into the net.
"She's the best at that. That's always been the strength of Ar-ant-xa," Seles said, referring to her opponent's ability to return balls others cannot reach. "It puts a lot of pressure against a person who is a hitter, like myself, to sometimes go for too much."
Seles then hit a backhand long, her 48th unforced error, to send Sanchez Vicario on her climb into the players' box. She kissed her father, coach, mother, sister and boyfriend before getting nuzzled by her Yorkshire terrier, Roland, who has watched all three of her championships here.
Sanchez Vicario had won only one title in the past two years and was bothered by leg and wrist injuries this winter.