TENNIS / AUSTRALIAN OPEN : It’s Seles and Graf Playing for Yet Another Title

It comes as no surprise that Monica Seles and Steffi Graf will meet in yet another Grand Slam final.

Seles is ranked No. 1 in the world and Graf No. 2. Together, they have won the last five Australian Opens. As expected, both advanced with convincing victories in today’s semifinals.

Seles, two-time defending champion, amazed even herself with some shots in overpowering Gabriela Sabatini, 6-1, 6-2.

Seles, 20-0 in this event over three years, assured herself of retaining the No. 1 ranking in women’s tennis. Three-time champion Graf, who defeated Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, 7-5, 6-4, reigned as No. 1 for 3 1/2 years until March 11, 1991, when Seles became the youngest player to take over the top spot.

Graf can narrow the point gap in the rankings by beating Seles, putting herself in position to reclaim No. 1 later this year.

Their match Saturday will be their fourth for a Grand Slam title. Graf won the last meeting on the grass at Wimbledon last summer. Seles won the first two, in the French Open in 1990 and ’92.

But in the Australian Open, which Graf won on a rubberized hard surface in 1988, ’89 and ‘90, the courts should even out their strengths and weaknesses. Neither player has lost an Australian final.

“It is special to play against her,” Graf said. “I think it’s a great opportunity to play against the best woman in the world. But she’s human, too. Everyone makes mistakes. You have to constantly pressure her. You can’t let up on your game, that’s for sure.”

Against Seles, Sabatini was simply overmatched in all aspects of the game.

“There were a couple of shots I made, I don’t believe,” Seles said, recalling one backhand cross-court drop from Sabatini in the second set that Seles charged and put into the corner, far from Sabatini’s reach.

Seles made only 11 unforced errors to Sabatini’s 25, but it was Seles’ attitude and style that helped her prevail--the same factors that helped her win the Australian, French and U.S. Open titles last year.

“Her best thing is her mind,” Sabatini said. “That’s the most important thing. That’s why she’s the best. She’s so focused.”

On nearly every key point, Seles came up with the better shot and put Sabatini on the defensive. Even as Sabatini attacked, she did it in a haphazard and slow manner.

Sabatini, who said she might have been slowed because of a possible virus, popped a string on a return to lose the fourth game of the second set. But she dug herself a bigger hole by double-faulting to start and finish the next game and fell behind, 3-2. From then on, Sabatini looked eager to get it over and escape the embarrassment.

Seles, playing in her 14th Grand Slam event, reached the semifinals for the 10th time. This was the ninth time she has reached the final, and she’ll be playing for her eighth Grand Slam title.