TENNIS ROUNDUP : Courier Beats Steeb, Meets Costa in Final

The French Open can wait. Jim Courier still has some unfinished business in Italy.

Courier is one victory away from becoming the first American to win the Italian Open since Jimmy Arias in 1983. But he will have to get past the world’s hottest clay-court player to do it.

The No. 1-seeded player and world’s top-ranked player, Courier reached the Rome final Saturday by coming from behind to defeat Germany’s Carl-Uwe Steeb, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2.

In the other semifinal at the Foro Italico, Spain’s Carlos Costa defeated Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia, 6-4, 6-3.

Costa, who won clay-court titles in Portugal and Spain this spring, has not lost a set in five matches in Rome. Ranked No. 55 in the world at the start of the year, he will break into the top 10 in the next ATP rankings released Monday.

Courier won the French Open last year for his first Grand Slam championship. He begins defense of the title in eight days but said he first wants to add the Italian Open to his collection.

“Right now, I’m concerned with the here and now,” Courier said. “I’m very pleased with the way I’m playing. Come Monday, I’ll start putting all my energies into the French.”

Courier would become only the second American to win both the French and Italian Open titles. Budge Paddy won in Paris in 1950 and Rome in 1954.

Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario beat Americans in the semifinals of the Berlin Open. Graf rallied to beat sixth-seeded Jennifer Capriati, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Sanchez Vicario outlasted fourth-seeded Mary Joe Fernandez, 7-5, 7-6 (7-3).

Graf and Sanchez Vicario also met in last year’s final, with Graf winning in three sets.

The German player got off to a shaky start against Capriati, who controlled the early action on the clay court, breaking Graf’s serve in the first game and passing her with long, powerful backhands.

But Graf gained confidence in the second set, as Capriati made several errors.

Capriati jumped to a 2-0 lead in the third set, but Graf countered to tie at 4-4, then took a 5-4 lead. She put away the match with three consecutive points.