Ivanisevic’s Game Does the Talking : Wimbledon: Normally hot-tempered Croatian will play Sampras in men’s final after keeping his vow not to throw tantrums.

Even with the Archbishop of Canterbury in the Royal Box, Todd Martin didn’t have a prayer against top-seeded Pete Sampras, who actually lost a set but not much else during Friday’s men’s singles semifinals.

Sampras beat the sixth-seeded Martin, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, though no one was rushing to store the videotape of this one in the Wimbledon vaults. It had all the excitement of a Sampras postmatch news conference--”If I play consistent, I’m tough to beat. . . . If I play consistent, I’m tough to beat.”

Both players knew the match was something of a dud. Sure it went four sets, but only because Sampras misplaced his serve during the third and couldn’t take full advantage of a weary Martin.

“We didn’t play great by any means, either one of us,” said Sampras, the defending champion. “So it’s a good one to get through.”

Sampras next will face fourth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic, the caustic Croatian who serves as if he’s good enough to win his first title in a Grand Slam event. Ivanisevic swept past No. 7 Boris Becker in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, and not once did he throw a racket in anger or unleash a string of Croatian expletives--his trademark in years past.

“I really have to admit I lost to a great player today,” said Becker, a three-time champion here. “Goran Ivanisevic probably played the best match of his career.”

Not much to question about his game Friday. Ivanisevic, who holds the world record for fastest serve, 136 m.p.h., got 21 aces against the mostly helpless Becker. That gives Ivanisevic 140 aces for the tournament, 40 more than Sampras--no slouch himself when it comes to aces--but well below his amazing 206 a couple of years ago.

Becker never broke Ivanisevic’s serve or his concentration. In the past, that was the way to rattle him. Fluster him and then wait for the collapse.

Ivanisevic has been an angel this time around. He has a bet with former tour player Ion Tiriac and Formula One magnate Bernie Eccleston that he won’t toss his racket during the fortnight. And then there is the pre-Wimbledon vow Ivanisevic made to himself.

“I said to myself, ‘Let’s try to be cool,’ ” he said.

Cool he has been. As chilled as champagne on ice.

Becker told him afterward that if he remains equally composed against Sampras, the championship could be his to take to Croatia, the first Grand Slam event title for the country.

“I’m confident,” he said. “I mean, I’m playing Pete.”

Not many players can say that and mean it. But Ivanisevic holds a 5-3 lead in their matches, a 14-7 lead in sets won, a 6-3 lead in tiebreakers won and a 1-0 lead in Grand Slam matches won--the 1992 Wimbledon quarterfinals.

But Sampras and Ivanisevic haven’t played one another this year--the year when Sampras separated himself from the rest of the world--and in their last meeting, a 1993 ATP tournament, Sampras won. Chances also are that Sampras won’t have another match like Friday’s, when he struggled with his serve and had to play despite a slightly sprained right ankle.

“On break points throughout the match I really served well, but throughout the whole match the rhythm wasn’t there,” Sampras said. “It didn’t click like it has been throughout the week.”

But he still earned a second consecutive trip to the final. OK, he gave up two break points--he has lost only three for the entire tournament--and foot-faulted twice. Then there was the bothersome third set, when he won only 50% of his first-serve points.

All in all, it was the first match of the fortnight that didn’t meet Sampras’ standards. Everything was a little off. Not fatally, but enough to be noticed.

Martin saw it. But after having already played four five-set matches, he couldn’t do much about it. His legs were shot, his serve inconsistent. He arrived at the semifinals with seven hours’ more court time than Sampras.

“I wish I would have done better,” said Martin, who was treated for an unspecified illness or injury after the match--he wouldn’t say which. “I’m pleased with myself because I didn’t think I played all that poorly, but I certainly had a chance to win the match and that’s disappointing in itself.”

Faced with three break points in the first set, Sampras responded with two aces and a service winner. He won the second set on an ace and fought off five break points before winning the fourth and deciding set. To do that, he hit two aces and three service winners.

Now on to the final and Ivanisevic.

“Everybody say Pete is favorite,” Ivanisevic said. “So that’s nice to hear and I go there and we see.”