Graf Easily Beats Sukova, Gains Final at Boca Raton

Sixteen-year-old Steffi Graf, firing winners from both sides while her opponent shot blanks with her usually powerful serve, defeated Helena Sukova, 6-2, 6-1, in just 50 minutes Thursday in the semifinals of the $1.8-million Lipton International Players tennis championships.

The second-seeded Graf plays in Saturday’s final against the winner of the semifinal between top-seeded Chris Evert Lloyd and ninth-seeded Kathy Rinaldi.

Graf was unbeatable Thursday, hitting 16 outright winners with her powerful top-spin forehand. She even had four winners with her usually defensive backhand.

“I really felt I couldn’t miss, especially after the first set,” Graf said. “I just played great.

“I can’t remember when I’ve ever felt like that, especially against (someone like) her. She’s a really good player.”

Sukova, seeded seventh, showed only brief flashes of the brilliance that brought her to the semifinals without losing a set. She broke Graf’s serve in the first game, but things started to fall apart when Graf broke right back.

“The important thing was for me to break her in the second game,” Graf said. “Her serve is her strength.

“She didn’t serve too good. She didn’t get many first serves in, which she has to do against me.”

Sukova was too stunned to be devastated.

“She went so much for her shots and all of them were going in,” the 19-year-old Czech said. “This doesn’t happen every day.

“She was returning well, so the pressure was on my first serve. That’s why my first serve wasn’t as good as my other matches.”

Sukova hit only 55% of her first serves and double-faulted five times.

In the men’s semifinals Friday, top-seeded Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia takes on third-seeded Jimmy Connors and second-seeded Mats Wilander takes on fifth-seeded Stefan Edberg in a battle of young Swedes.

Connors is one of the few players Lendl trails in head-to-head matchups, but he has pulled within 13-12 by winning their past seven matches. The 33-year-old Connors should be slightly drained, having played three three-set matches and one four-set match in this tournament. Lendl has lost only one set, in his first-round victory over John Sadri.

Wilander, 21, has won four of six matches against Edberg, 20. But in their last encounter, Edberg won, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, in the final of the Australian Open to claim his first Grand Slam championship. Wilander has won four Grand Slam titles.

Wilander has lost only one set in five matches at the Boca West resort, while Edberg has yet to drop a set.