Seles, Capriati Sail to Victory : Tennis: Capriati faces doubles partner Zina Garrison today.

Like, the Mazda Tennis Classic is going really well for the teen-agers this week, you know? It’s been a blast, man.

Things were cool Thursday at the La Costa Resort and Spa for top-seeded Monica Seles, 17, and fourth-seeded Jennifer Capriati, 15, who each won their matches handily.

While most of her teen-age peers were bumming, er, depressed about the poor beach weather Thursday afternoon, Seles breezed past Australia’s Anne Minter, 6-0, 6-3, to advance to Saturday’s semifinals.

And Capriati had an unexpectedly easy time with Lori McNeil, 6-2, 6-1, in front of 3,793 Thursday night. While others her age were watching Lisa warn Homer about pirating cable television on The Simpsons, Capriati was advancing to a quarterfinal match against fifth-seeded Zina Garrison this afternoon.

So, the stage is still set for the Teen Dream final--Seles and Capriati. It has been in the works since Friday’s draw, when Seles and Capriati landed in opposite sides of the bracket. And since they met in the championship of an exhibition in Mahwah, N.J. two weeks ago--Capriati won--it is even more attractive.

But, said Seles, the Mahwah tournament doesn’t mean anything.

“It was an exhibition,” she said. “That’s a different thing, I think, than playing in a (sanctioned) tournament. But I have tough matches left and so does she.

“I think it would be a great final. No question.”

The McNeil match was Capriati’s first singles match since playing in the Federation Cup Sunday in England. There were no signs of rust--it took her only 53 minutes to polish off McNeil.

“I needed the days off,” Capriati said. “It’s a long trip from England and I needed the rest.”

She broke five of McNeil’s seven service games and was never in trouble. She won the first five games of the first set and lost only the fourth game in the second.

There wasn’t much more Capriati could have done to dominate.

“Maybe I could have made a couple of more first serves, or come to the net more,” she said.

On the other hand, McNeil, who has won two tournaments already this year, made several unforced errors. In the sixth game of the second set, for example, she double-faulted twice in three attempts--the second coming on game-point.

“I was making far too many mistakes,” McNeil said. “And I was struggling with my serves, especially during the second set. It became frustrating to me to even stay in the match. . . .

“I think my mistakes stood out more than her great shots.”

Capriati’s match against Garrison this afternoon has an added twist--the two are doubles partners this week. They also have differing viewpoints on this afternoon’s match.

“It’s hard playing people you like or are friends with, especially your doubles partner,” Capriati said. “But you’ve got to block that out.”

Garrison, a 6-2, 6-1 winner against France’s Karine Quentrec Thursday, doesn’t foresee a problem with softening up against Capriati.

“No,” she said. “We’re both very competitive people. We’re going to be out there fighting to the end.”

Like Capriati, Seles’s day was interrupted by a brief tennis match. Seles didn’t even bother to feign interest afterward.

“It was a pretty easy match,” she acknowledged.

The first set took only 22 minutes as Seles won 13 of the final 15 games. Overall, Seles collected four aces.

“The hardest thing was, in the second set when I was up 2-0, getting my mind to concentrate,” Seles said. “I missed a ball I shouldn’t have missed and kind of collapsed after that.”

Minter was faced with the unpleasant prospect of taking on Seles without a lot of rest. On Wednesday, Minter was extended to three sets and nearly three hours by Akiko Kijimuta before winning, 6-3, 5-7, 7-5.

Not exactly the best way to prepare for Seles.

“I was pretty tired,” Minter said.

Pause.

“Not that it would have made the results any different.”