TENNIS ROUNDUP : Ivanisevic Powers His Way Past Courier, 6-3, 6-3

Jim Courier found out Thursday that Goran Ivanisevic has more to his game than the most fearsome serve in tennis.

Playing what he said was the best match of his career, Ivanisevic overwhelmed top-ranked Courier, 6-3, 6-3, in the ATP Tour World Championship at Frankfurt, Germany.

Coming into the match with a tour-leading 923 aces this season, Ivanisevic made only six against Courier but dominated from the backcourt with his powerful ground strokes. He also won 24 of his 26 first-serve points.

“I played a fantastic match,” the fourth-ranked Ivanisevic said. “I think that was the best match I’ve played in my life. I can’t play much better.”

Ivanisevic, from Croatia, broke Courier twice in the first set, and was helped by a Courier double-fault that gave him a set point. He hit a blistering cross-court forehand to win the set.

He broke again in the fourth game of the second set, and saved three break points in the next game by winning five points in a row.

Ivanisevic slammed two aces and two service winners in the last game to win the match.

“He came up with the goods,” said Courier, who is trying to become the first American to finish the year as No. 1 since John McEnroe in 1984.

Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands mixed power with a delicate touch to rally past Michael Chang, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Krajicek was outplayed in the first set but rebounded to win the second and took the tiebreaker after losing his serve for the match.

In the last match Thursday, Pete Sampras (3-0), the defending champion who already is sure of advancing to the semifinals, rallied to beat Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

It wasn’t easy, but Monica Seles and Martina Navratilova eventually did what was expected: Both advanced to the semifinals of the Virginia Slims Championships at New York.

The top-seeded Seles fought out of a deep hole to beat Jana Novotna, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, after Navratilova, seeded fourth, shook off the mid-match blahs to defeat Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 6-1, 2-6, 6-2.

“I’m lucky I escaped today,” Seles said.

Their opponents in Saturday’s semifinals won’t be known until after tonight’s quarterfinals. Seles, seeking her third consecutive Slims Championships title, will meet the winner of a quarterfinal pitting third-seeded Gabriela Sabatini against No. 7 Jennifer Capriati. Navratilova will take on the No. 8 Conchita Martinez-Lori McNeil winner.

Novotna applied continual pressure on Seles by taking the net at every opportunity and keeping her ground strokes deep.