It was a perfect day for tennis - at least for Monica Seles and Steffi Graf.
The top two women's seeds won today to advance to the Australian Open final, where neither ever has lost.The top-seeded Seles blasted a weakened Gabriela Sabatini, the Argentine third seed, 6-1, 6-2, while No. 2 Graf struggled before kicking her power game into gear to oust fourth-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain 7-5, 6-4.
That set up Saturday's rematch of last year's Wimbledon final, the only time in eight tries that Seles has lost a Grand Slam after reaching the title match.
The men's semifinals are scheduled for Friday. No. 1 Jim Courier plays No. 14 Michael Stich, while No. 2 Stefan Edberg faces No. 3 Pete Sampras.
Seles has a 20-match winning here that has carried her to the last two titles. Graf, who missed last year with a case of rubella and lost in the 1991 quarterfinals to Jana Novotna, won the previous three years.
Both said they didn't play their best on a warm sunny day with no threat of rain for the first time in days, but it would be hard to convince Sabatini and Sanchez Vicario.
Seles committed only 11 unforced errors and won nearly twice as many points as Sabatini in a match that lasted only 53 minutes. Graf wasn't quite as sharp, but won the big points, bouncing back from a first-set deficit to win five straight games.
"I played a great game, there was no question," Seles said. "A couple of shots I almost felt, `I don't believe I did that.' I still thought maybe my serve was the one thing that let me down. I should have come in a little more."
Sabatini, possibly drained by her nearly three-set match against 10th-seeded Mary Pierce in the last round, finishing at 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, said she just wasn't up to the task physically.
"I am not feeling very well," she said. "I feel weak and I was a little bit slow. I think I have a virus. That had a lot to do with it."
But Sabatini praised Seles' ability to keep focused so well and so long.
"Her best thing is her mind," Sabatini said. "That's why she is the best, I think."
Graf started sharp, breaking Sanchez Vicario to go up 2-0. But the feisty Spaniard used her speed to outlast Graf on some long rallies and run off four straight games.
Sanchez Vicario looked to be well in control, and when she cracked a forehand crosscourt volley winner with Graf serving at 3-5, she pumped her fist in glee.
Graf seemed to bear down to find some inner reserve. The German won nine of the next 10 points to start off her five-game binge. Sanchez Vicario recovered a second-set service break to pull within 4-5, but Graf took advantage of four errors to break back the next game and finish off the match.
Asked how she played, Graf said: "Sort of OK. Not extraordinary, nothing special."
"There were times I didn't play aggressive enough," she said. "In the beginning, I was just trying too hard."