TENNIS / AUSTRALIAN OPEN : It’s Edberg Against the Americans in Final Four

Stefan Edberg believes he is playing some of the best tennis of his life as he sets out to loosen the American grip on the men’s singles title at the Australian Open.

The fourth-seeded Swede is outnumbered by the U.S. contingent of Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Todd Martin in the semifinal lineup, but he feels his form is good enough to leave all his rivals empty-handed.

“I’m feeling as good as I’ve done for quite some time now. I’m actually hitting the ball the best I’ve done for a year,” said Edberg, who faces Martin.

“I felt pretty confident coming into this event and it’s just a matter of keeping it rolling. If I’m playing the way I am, I know I have a good chance of doing well here.”

Edberg, 28, has reached the final at Flinders Park in three of the last four years, only to lose each time.

Courier, who meets Sampras, has been an immovable obstruction in the final for the last two years, while luck has not always been on the stylish Swede’s side.

Twelve months ago, the torrid heat on Centre Court played into the hands of Courier, a competitor who prides himself on his physical durability.

Edberg had also been suffering from a back problem earlier in the tournament, while in 1990 he was forced to default in the final, handing Ivan Lendl his eighth and last Grand Slam title.

“I have reached the semifinal or better almost every time I have been here, but I haven’t won the last three finals,” Edberg recalled after defeating Austria’s Thomas Muster in the quarterfinals.

“I had probably my best chance in 1990 when I pulled a stomach muscle against Ivan. . . . I need a bit of luck here, yes.

“As for last year, it was almost a joke to go out to play a final when it’s 40 degrees (Celsius, 104 Fahrenheit), especially on this court. It doesn’t matter what your name is, playing under those conditions is really, really tough.

“It’s a lot easier under hot conditions to lose your brain. Anybody can go bananas out there,” he said.

Luckily for Edberg and his British coach, Tony Pickard, the hottest weather seems to have passed, leaving Martin with an unenviable task.

Edberg describes the ninth-seeded Martin, 23, as “a man for the future,” but, more revealingly, suggests that Martin has “nothing that really scares me.”

Courier and Sampras have played 10 times, with current world No. 1 Sampras winning eight matches.

Yet Courier is unbeaten at Flinders Park since 1991, when he lost in the fourth round to Edberg, and the Australian Open is one of two Grand Slam titles that still elude the 22-year-old Sampras.