Sloppy Semis Seem Sweet To Graf, Sanchez Vicario

It was a stretch to say Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario won their semifinal matches at the French Open. It was more a case of Jana Novotna and Conchita Martinez losing them.

Novotna performed another act of self-destruction, and Martinez had another fadeout in a pair of error-filled matches on a sweltering Thursday at Roland Garros.

The result: Another Graf-Sanchez Vicario final.

Graf, the defending champion and four-time winner, needed just 67 minutes to complete a 6-3, 6-1 victory over No. 3 Martinez.

Martinez looked exceptionally sluggish and made 24 unforced errors. Graf had 23 of her own, but dominated with a forehand that produced 18 winners.

“It was a pretty bad match,” said Martinez, who lost in the semifinals for the third straight year.

Earlier, No. 4 Sanchez Vicario took advantage of a slew of mistakes by her doubles partner, the 10th-seeded Novotna, to win 6-3, 7-5.

Novotna committed 42 unforced errors and eight double faults. Sanchez Vicario, steady as always from the baseline, had 19 unforced errors and only two doubles.

“It’s not that Arantxa won the match,” Novotna said. “It’s that I lost the match.”

Afterward, Graf and Sanchez Vicario saw each other in the locker room.

“We gave each other a high-five and congratulated each other, saying, ‘Saturday, another one,”’ Graf said.

It will be the 35th meeting between the two. Graf leads the series 26-8.

It also will be their sixth encounter in a Grand Slam final and third at the French.

“Probably not many people were giving me too much credit and thinking I would be able to make the final, but here I am,” Sanchez Vicario said. “I’m here and I’m very proud.”

The men’s semifinals are set for today, with top-seeded Pete Sampras facing No. 6 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and No. 14 Marc Rosset playing No. 15 Michael Stich.

With temperatures in the sun reaching 90 degrees Thursday, players were shielded by umbrellas on changeovers. They used ice packs to cool off.

Novotna seemed to suffer the most.

Leading 3-2 in the first set and up 15-40 on Sanchez Vicario’s serve, she proceeded to lose 14 straight points - 11 on unforced errors - and 20 of 22. In the space of a few minutes, Novotna dropped five consecutive games to lose the first set and go down 1-0 in the second.

Not that Sanchez Vicario was playing spectacular tennis. She just kept the ball in play and Novotna eventually made an error.

The Graf-Martinez match was also sloppy, with five straight breaks in the first set. Graf won seven of eight games to take the first set and led 4-0 in the second.

“I was playing pretty aggressive, especially with the forehand,” Graf said. “On the other hand, I did realize that she was making more mistakes and trying for too much and taking too many risks.”

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: French Open Winners: Defending champion Steffi Graf reached Saturday’s final by defeating Conchita Martinez in straight sets. Former French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario beat Jana Novotna in straight sets in the other semifinal. A look ahead: In the men’s semifinals today, top-seeded Pete Sampras takes on No. 6 Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and No. 14 Marc Rosset faces No. 15 Michael Stich.