Graf, Sanchez Vicario Are Rough but Ready

The heat wave that has hit Paris did nothing to light a fire under the participants in the French Open women’s semifinals. Thursday’s two matches were not only predictable but pedestrian.

On the bright side, the matches did provide something to look forward to: a reprise of some classic Grand Slam event finals involving Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, last year’s finalists here.

Graf, co-seeded No. 1 and the defending champion, defeated a lackluster Conchita Martinez, 6-3, 6-1, in a match in which the third-seeded player held her serve only twice.

Sanchez Vicario defeated Jana Novotna, 6-3, 7-5, in a match in which the 10th-seeded Novotna committed 42 unforced errors and eight double faults.

Both matches lacked drama, or even consistently excellent play.

Graf and Martinez reeled off five consecutive service breaks in the first set of their match. With the temperature hovering at 90 degrees and the heat on the court much higher, the center-court crowd was restless and even the players seemed listless. It was hardly the atmosphere associated with the semifinal of a Grand Slam tournament.

Was the match interesting, Graf was asked?

The four-time French Open champion shook her head.

“We didn’t really have that many long rallies,” Graf said. “In the beginning, we both were struggling a little bit. If it’s such an easy match, how can the crowd get into it? That’s difficult. There were not that many spectacular points.”

The first set of that match was gruesome to watch, and both players admitted they hadn’t enjoyed playing it. Martinez didn’t hold serve until the eighth game of the set and even the steady Graf looked unsure.

They picked up the pace in the second set, although Graf made the greater improvement. She began to exude confidence, thanks in part to the reappearance of her forehand, her most consistent weapon.

Graf opened the set by breaking Martinez’s serve and immediately marched, head down, to her chair for the changeover. When Graf’s body language assumed that brisk, businesslike approach, all that was left for Martinez was to play for pride.

The Spaniard did that, finding success with her backhand. But, clearly, Graf’s game upsets Martinez. Graf is 13-1 against her. Martinez was asked if, because of Graf’s dominance, she has a mental block about playing her.

“No, I don’t think it’s a mental problem,” she said. “I just think I can’t play my best. Today, I couldn’t play good. She played great, very deep and I couldn’t do much. I couldn’t get into the rhythm of the match.”

Whatever rhythm existed in the match between Sanchez Vicario and Novotna was generated by the dominant Sanchez Vicario. Novotna was frustrated by her inability to attack, and the fourth-seeded Sanchez Vicario was forcing the pace. Making matters worse, Novotna’s creative forehand was not in working order, a real handicap.

At one point, Novotna lost 14 points in succession and 20 out of 22. Yet Novotna, seeded 10th, claimed she lost the match through her own inadequacies, rather than because of Sanchez Vicario’s play.

“Arantxa really doesn’t do anything,” Novotna said. “She runs around the court and just brings the ball back and she’s waiting for somebody else’s mistake. My game is to receive and to attack and to win my shots. Today was really unfortunate because she was playing all these high loops, and I really couldn’t do anything about it.”

A predicament that was obvious to anyone who saw the match.