The clay-court victory reconfirmed Hingis' standing as the favorite for the French Open, the second Grand Slam event of the year that starts in three weeks.

Hingis, playing her first clay-court tournament of the season, has a 14-1 record against Sanchez-Vicario.

Just by making the final, the 19-year-old Swiss star was assured the top ranking. She had lost the No. 1 spot in mid-April to Lindsay Davenport.

``I am happy about the No. 1, but the victory in the final is more important to me,'' said Hingis, who has 29 career titles.

Hingis won this tournament in 1998, the last time she played at this event. Hamburg was also where she reached the final in her tournament debut, as a 14-year-old in 1995.

Only three times in the last 13 years the Hamburg final failed to produce at least one of the French Open finalists in the same season.

Hingis dominated Sanchez-Vicario, a three-time champion in Hamburg. The Swiss star hardly made any errors, forcing the 28-year-old Spaniard into long rallies that usually ended with Sanchez-Vicario making a mistake.

``I'll be back next year, I am not finished here yet,'' the Spaniard said.

This will be Hingis' 137th week at No. 1 when the new rankings are released Monday. She gained the top ranking for the first time on March 31, 1997, when she was 16.

Hingis earned $87,000 for the title.