Graf Coasts, Not Sabatini; Now They’ll Clash at Open

Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini, last year’s finalists, took divergent routes into the U.S. Open semifinals today.

Graf, the top seed and defending champion, needed only 44 minutes to rout No. 8 Helena Sukova, 6-1, 6-1. It was the 11th straight victory over Sukova for Graf, winner of six of the last seven Grand Slam events.

Sabatini, seeded third, and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario went more than 44 minutes in the first set alone. The baseliners played extended points throughout their 2-hour, 17-minute match, won by Sabatini 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Graf and Sabatini, who are doubles partners and have reached the semifinals here, will meet in Friday’s singles semis. No. 2 Martina Navratilova and her conqueror in last year’s Open, No. 5 Zina Garrison, are in the other semifinal. Garrison ended Chris Evert’s Grand Slam career on Tuesday.

‘I Am a Machine’

For Graf, it was business as usual. The West German star has lost only 14 games in five matches, and she never allowed Sukova to get into their match.

“I am a machine, you know,” she joked. “I tried to do my best. If this is the outcome against Helena Sukova, 6-1, 6-1, then I should do all right.

“I’m happy about the way that I was playing. That’s more important than any score or time.”

Sukova said she was looking for perfection, which was the wrong approach.

“I really didn’t have to play the perfect shot, as I tried to do all of the time,” she said. “It puts so much pressure on your serve to do that.

“You know, it doesn’t have to be on the line, it can be a meter from the line, and I was certainly pushing it too much, to be a perfect shot, and it didn’t work.”

Sabatini had to work hard against Sanchez, the 17-year-old French Open champion from Spain. Sabatini’s serve was broken four times in the first set. She also broke Sanchez twice in the sloppy set.

“I think I started playing a little slow,” said Sabatini, who lost to Sanchez in their last meeting, at the Canadian Open in August. “I was not moving my legs very much. I knew I had to keep in the match with a better forehand and attack a little more.”

Sabatini had 34 unforced errors and only 22 winners.