Australian Open Tennis : Lendl, Cash Coast Into Rematch in Semifinals

Top-seeded Ivan Lendl powered his way into the semifinals of the Australian Open Tuesday by routing Todd Witsken, the last American in the men’s singles, 6-2, 6-1, 7-6.

In the semifinals, Lendl will play fourth-seeded Pat Cash of Australia, who trounced unseeded Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2, in another quarterfinal match.

Cash, 22, the only player to beat Lendl in a Grand Slam tournament last year, defeated Schapers, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour 39 minutes.

“You can always improve, but I’m very happy with my form,” said Cash, who beat Lendl in last year’s Australian Open semifinals and in the Wimbledon final.

Said Lendl: “I just hope history doesn’t repeat itself.”

Witsken, the 24-year-old former USC All-American from Carmel, Ind., upset seventh-seeded Henri Leconte of France on his way to the quarterfinals.

But Witsken, who also upset Jimmy Connors in the 1986 U.S. Open, simply had no solution to Lendl’s relentless pressure.

Lendl, seeking his seventh Grand Slam title, but his first Australian Open crown, and the 71st tournament victory of his career, hasn’t lost a set in the tournament.

Witsken made a number of errors, and Lendl wore down his confidence with power and consistency from the baseline. The American rallied in the third set from 1-3 to force a tiebreaker.

Despite the ease of his victory, Lendl was involved in a long argument with umpire Rudy Berger midway through the third set over an over-rule on a line call.

The two remaining men’s quarterfinals will be held Wednesday.

Stefan Edberg of Sweden, who has won two straight Australian Open titles, faces unseeded Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union and two-time champion Mats Wilander will play fellow Swede Anders Jarryd.

Edberg and Wilander each have won two of the last four Australian Opens.

In women’s singles, top-seeded Steffi Graf trounced Catarina Linqvist of Sweden, 6-0, 7-5, Monday to advance to the quarterfinals.

The 18-year-old West German next faces defending champion Hana Mandlikova, who scored a 6-2, 6-4 victory over ninth-seeded Lori McNeil of Houston.

Australian Anne Minter upset Pam Shriver, 6-2, 6-4.

It is the first time Minter, ranked 38th in the world, has reached the quarterfinals in nine years of playing Grand Slam events. She next plays sixth-seeded West German Claudia Kohde-Kilsch.

Shriver, nursing a groin strain throughout the tournament, appeared to be slow throughout.

“I knew I was going to be in trouble,” Shriver said of her injury. “I knew that anyone who could take advantage of it by hitting the ball back and away from me would land me in trouble.”

In other quarterfinal matches Tuesday, No. 2 seeded Martina Navratilova faced sixth-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia, and third-seeded Chris Evert played Claudia Porwick of West Germany.