TENNIS ROUNDUP : After Regaining No. 1 Spot, Courier Puts Away Chang

Shortly after regaining his No. 1 world ranking, Jim Courier celebrated by defeating Michael Chang, 6-2, 6-3, Saturday in the semifinals of the Japan Open at Tokyo.

Courier moved up to the top ranking when Stefan Edberg, who had been No. 1, lost to Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands, 6-3, 7-5, in the other semifinal on the hard court at Ariake Colosseum.

Edberg first relinquished the No. 1 ranking to Courier in February, when Courier won the Australian Open. But Courier dropped back to No. 2 a month later.

Edberg’s loss Saturday would have put Courier back on top even if Courier had lost to Chang.

Courier took control against Chang with well-placed passing shots and booming services. He fired a backhand passing shot at match point to end Chang’s winning streak at 15.

Courier, 21, said it was his best match since he won the Australian Open. “Everything went well,” he said.

Japan’s Kimiko Date won her first women’s singles title on the WTA Tour by beating Sabine Appelmans of Belgium, 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.

Date will become the first Japanese women’s player to be ranked among the top 20.

Unseeded Carlos Costa defeated Alberto Mancini of Argentina, 6-3, 6-3, to move into the final of the Conde de Godo tournament at Barcelona. Costa’s opponent in today’s final will be Sweden’s Magnus Gustafsson, a 6-4, 7-5 winner over Spain’s Sergi Bruguera.

Costa is a member of the Real Tennis Club that is playing host to the $800,000 clay-court event.

Costa, trying to duplicate his clay-court victory in Portugal last week, needed only 70 minutes to overpower the seventh-seeded Mancini. Costa never lost his serve.

Rain halted a $350,000 women’s clay-court tournament at Amelia Island, Fla., with top-seeded Steffi Graf and No. 3 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario tied, 6-6, in the opening set. The conclusion, as well as the other semifinal between Gabriela Sabatini and Conchita Martinez, was rescheduled for today, with the final to follow.