AUSTRALIAN OPEN NOTES : Now, Ball Is in Krickstein’s Court

It’s up to Aaron Krickstein. If the unseeded player can beat Jacco Eltingh in tonight’s match, the men’s semifinals at the Australian Open here will be an all-American affair.

Andre Agassi’s straight set undoing of Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the morning match, 6-2, 7-5, 6-0, sets him on course to meet the Krickstein-Eltingh winner. In the other semifinal, PeteSampras plays Michael Chang.

Agassi’s match had the potential to extend him for the first time in the tournament. The Russian never was able to sustain pressure on Agassi, who has yet to be pressed.

“Quite honestly, this has been incredible practice more than anything,” he said. “To play three sets every other day is not taking a whole lot out of you, which is nice.

“I feel like it’s all gone well for me. I’m definitely hitting the ball well, but I’ve managed to get through some sets that could have made it a bit more difficult, and that makes a difference in the long run. “

Agassi has not lost a set here.

Nor has the surprising Marianne Werdel Witmeyer, who easily dismissed Angelica Gavaldon of Mexico, 6-1, 6-2, in 56 minutes. Werdel Witmeyer’s aggressive, attacking style has brought her to her first Grand Slam semifinal.

Often described as a go-for-it, hit-or-miss player, Werdel Witmeyer has not stopped attacking shots but has been more consistent here.

Against Gavaldon, she was on the offensive from the start.

“That’s what I really wanted to do,” said Werdel Witmeyer, who is ranked No. 47. “I wanted to be the one who was being aggressive, because we both like to hit from the baseline. I wanted to get her on the run before she got me on the run.”

Werdel Witmeyer, of Oceanside, said she would have liked to have her coach, Woody Blocher,here, but she never projected she’d get this far in the tournament.

“Well, I wasn’t planning on making this much money, so basically it was too expensive to bring him,” she said. Werdel Witmeyer will play top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the semifinals. Sanchez Vicario easily beat Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan, 6-1, 6-3, ending yet another unexpected run in the tournament. Sawamatsu converted only two of 11 break points and never showed the verve that carried her so far in the tournament.

Lindsay Davenport’s run ended Tuesday night when she fell to second-seeded Conchita Martinez, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. The Newport Beach teen-ager was undone by 50 unforced errors and a double fault on match point.

“That was awful tonight,” she said. “I’m pretty embarrassed about how that went. I was happy to get to the quarterfinals. But I can’t say I’m happy with it because I really wanted to win that match.”