Third-seeded Boris Becker, who has never lost to second-seeded Jim Courier in six previous meetings, will get a chance to extend the streak Sunday in the championship match of the U.S. Hardcourts.
Becker, No. 4 in the world, held off the challenge of No. 139 Patrick Rafter of Australia 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in Saturday's first semifinal at the Indianapolis Tennis Center.Courier, who will reclaim the role as the world's top men's player when the new rankings are released Monday, defeated No. 70 Luiz Mattar of Brazil 6-3, 6-2 in the other semifinal.
Becker and Courier haven't met in a tour event since Becker won the final of the ATP Tournament last November on a carpet court in Germany.
Becker and Rafter both made big weapons of their serve-and-volley games, recording identical 82 percent marks on their first serve. The difference was 28 unforced errors by Rafter, who was 3-6 in matches this year until he reached his first semifinal with the help of a stunning three-set triumph Friday over two-time defending champion Pete Sampras in a match that included three tiebreakers.
Becker posted his victory with three consecutive service winners, saving a break point with a serve clocked at 112 mph. He gained the advantage with a 120 mph bullet and won the match when Rafter couldn't handle a 119 mph shot.
Courier lost only five points on his serve, winning 22 of 26 of his first serves and 15 of 16 second serves. Mattar got only one break point in the match, which Courier saved with a service winner.
In Toronto, Steffi Graf conducted a tennis clinic on Saturday in a 6-2, 6-1 semifinal defeat of Switzerland's Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere to advance to the finals of the Canadian Open tennis tournament.
Graf, seeded No. 1, will meet 17-year-old American Jennifer Capriati, a 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 semifinal winner over defending champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.
In the other semifinal at the National Tennis Center at York University, Capriati, seeded sixth, and Sanchez Vicario, seeded second, dazzled a near-capacity crowd of 10,000 with a brilliant display of tennis.
The tenacious Spaniard came back from a 3-1 deficit in the first set to force a tiebreaker with the well-rested American, who received a bye into the semifinals when Julie Halard of France defaulted her quarterfinal match Friday night because of back spasms.
The final is a rematch of the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, in which Capriati beat Graf 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 to win the gold medal. Graf is 8-1 against Capriati.