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But she netted a drop shot then hit her normally reliable forehand long for Pierce's second break

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But she netted a drop shot then hit her normally reliable forehand long for Pierce's second break. Sanchez-Vicario again had a chance to close ground two games later.But she sent a forehand out, stopped playing on a ball she thought was long but was ruled good, and slammed the net cord on a backhand."The first set was much closer than it showed," Sanchez-Vicario said. "But once Mary was on a roll, she didn't miss much."Pierce quickly ended Sanchez-Vicario's hopes in the second set. The Frenchwoman won 12 consecutive points during one stretch - and 14 of the final 15 - smashing forehands deep into the corners as Sanchez-Vicario stood and watched."The score was extreme," Pierce said.

"Still, for every point, I had to work really hard."Pierce, whose pro debut came at the 1989 Family Circle when she was 14, smiled after one more forehand zipped down the line to close the match."It's amazing to think how far I've come since then in my tennis, in my life," said Pierce, engaged to Cleveland Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar.Sanchez-Vicario has lost five of her past six matches with Pierce, who collected her 14th career title.Pierce's win also ended the Family Circle's run here, which started in 1973 when promoters offered a then-unheard-of $100,000 for a women's-only tournament."It was really what helped get us started," said Rosie Casals, who made $30,000 for winning that first event.The tournament, which shared cramped quarters on the lush resort with the PGA Tour's MCI Classic each spring, will move two hours north to Charleston next year."We hope to see you all up in Charleston," James McEwen, the Family Circle Magazine publisher, told a sellout crowd, which booed. "Well, at least we let you voice your opinion."Pierce scooped out some green clay at Stadium Court with a golden shovel and placed it into a crystal vase. The clay will move with the tournament to Charleston."We want to bring a piece of our tradition with us," said tournament spokeswoman Robin Reynolds.Sanchez-Vicario extended her own tournament mark with her 14th straight appearance."It's a little bit sad," she said of the move. "I've made so many friends and memories here."Pierce was pleased she could add her own successful memory at one of the WTA's signature events."It's the last time it's going to be played here and I won the tournament," she said. "So it's really special."Singles Championship(1) Mary Pierce (Fr) def (4) Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (Sp) 6-1, 6-0.. The fact that April contains the letter 'r' would seem inconsequential to all but the most crazed of crossword fans, and, of course, the oyster lover - for few precious days remain of the native oyster season. The fact that April contains the letter 'r' would seem inconsequential to all but the most crazed of crossword fans, and, of course, the oyster lover - for few precious days remain of the native oyster season. A sea apart from the more familiar rock oyster with its crenellated shell and strong, sea-salty flavour, the native is a subtle beast.

A smooth shell and the more delicate marine flavours of sea air and iodine make it ambrosia to the shellfish fan, for whom the end of this month brings woeful tidings because it is in the summertime that the natives make whoopee.As we contemplate two weeks at a CentreParc, the oyster - a hermaphrodite - is producing the million or so eggs that next year will be shucked and sucked to feed our hedonistic delights. It is for this reason - plus the fact that the strenuous activity that it takes to bring a million kids into the world renders the summer native a milk-burgeoned skinny minny - that we should leave well alone.Without warrant, common thinking has it that eating seafood, oysters in particular, is akin to playing Russian roulette. To save you having to be pushed around Casualty for the weekend, follow a few simple rules: if it smells fishy, it is fishy; if it's old, it's no good, and - above all - if it tastes bad, spit it out. Actually, those are rules for life, not just for shellfish.Of our own natives, the Whitstable flat is among the most highly prized. Whitstable's Royal Native Oyster Store is housed in a storm-battered building set alongside a pebble beach strewn with the clawed aftermath of yesterday's gluttons. Inside, blackboard menus, checked tablecloths and open beams prevail. On a Friday lunchtime, out of season, the dining room was full.

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