TENNIS ROUNDUP : Markus Upsets Sampras to Reach His First Final

Gabriel Markus of Argentina defeated top-seeded Pete Sampras in a third-set tiebreaker Saturday and won their semifinal match at the Nice Open, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-5).

Unseeded Markus will be playing his first title match, taking on seventh-seeded Javier Sanchez of Spain, who defeated France’s Fabrice Santoro, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).

Markus, 22, is 78th in the world rankings, Sampras fourth.

“I was bit nervous in the second set,” Markus said, “but in the beginning of the third I told myself, ‘This is my last chance--go for it.’ ”

Michael Chang outlasted Australian Todd Woodbridge, 6-3, 6-7 (7-6), 6-1, and will play the winner of the other semifinal between Jim Courier and Brad Gilbert for the title of the Hong Kong Open.

Courier was leading Gilbert, 2-1, in the first set before rain interrupted the match. It will be resumed today before the final.

Top-seeded Monica Seles survived a 26-point service break in the first set and defeated sixth-seeded Laura Gildemeister of Peru, 6-4, 6-1, in the semifinals of the Virginia Slims of Houston.

In the final, Seles will meet Zina Garrison, who beat Bulgaria’s Katerina Maleeva, 6-1, 6-3.

It was the second match of the day for Seles and Gildemeister, who returned early Saturday after their cheduled matches Friday were postponed because of heavy rains.

Seles took a 5-3 first-set lead before she was broken after 10 deuces in the ninth game. But Seles broke back in the 10th game and went on to win easily.

“Playing two matches in a day is OK physically, but mentally it’s more difficult,” said Seles, who is 12-0 in matches at Houston.

Gildemeister reached the semifinals against Seles with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Gigi Fernandez. Seles needed only 59 minutes to defeat Bettina Fulco-Villella, 6-1, 6-0, in her midday quarterfinal match.

MaliVai Washington and Jaime Yzaga of Peru defeated unseeded opponents to advance to the final of the USTA Men’s Clay Courts at Tampa, Fla.

Washington, seeded third, defeated Franco Davin of Argentina, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Yzaga, No. 4, beat Claudio Mezzadri of Switzerland, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5.)