Edberg, Graf Power Way Into Semifinals

PARIS —  Stefan Edberg, slicing steadily from the back court and volleying with the confidence that swept him to last year’s Wimbledon title, ended the French Open hopes of rising Argentine Alberto Mancini with a crushing 6-1, 6-3, 7-6 quarterfinal victory today.

Defending champion Steffi Graf, unaffected by a 45-minute rain delay, powered into the semifinals with a 6-0, 6-4 victory over Conchita Martinez of Spain.

The third-seeded Edberg, who saved two set points in the third set, reached the semifinals at Roland Garros for the first time. He negated Mancini’s fearsome power in a match that began 45 minutes late and was interrupted in the second set by a 55-minute rain delay.

Hottest Player on Tour

Edberg, who has attracted little attention during the tournament despite dropping only one set, never let the Argentine--the hottest player on the tour coming into the men’s event--get into the match.

“He’s a fast-court player but he didn’t miss a ball,” Mancini said. “His serve has a very high bounce and it’s very difficult to return. He reaches the net so quickly. When you hit the return, he’s already there.”

The opening set, played in overcast conditions and a light drizzle, lasted just 24 minutes as the Wimbledon champion swept to a 5-0 lead.

He quickly pocketed the set two games later and led 4-3, with a break of serve, in the second set when the drizzle turned to heavy rain.

When the action resumed, Mancini still was unable to turn Edberg’s slices into winners. The depth and power that had annihilated previous opponents just wouldn’t come.

Sarcastic Shout

Edberg, after holding for 5-3, broke the Argentine for the set on his sixth set point, set up for him by a double fault.

Mancini’s cause wasn’t helped by a spectator who sarcastically shouted out “underhand,” suggesting Mancini serve underhand in the way Michael Chang did on Monday on the way to upsetting Ivan Lendl.

Mancini took a 5-3 lead in the third set, but Edberg, cool and composed under pressure, held him off to reach a tiebreaker and win the match.

Graf’s victory over Martinez means the defending champion and No. 1 seed now has dropped only 13 games in five matches in her bid for a third straight French women’s crown and sixth consecutive Grand Slam tournament title.

In the 26-minute opening set, Graf lost only 14 points as she pushed 17-year-old Martinez, one of the world’s rising young clay-court performers, around the Center Court.

Interrupted by Rain

Graf led 3-2 in the second set with a break of serve when a heavy downpour, accompanied by thunder and lightning, sent the players racing for the safety of the locker rooms.

When they emerged in the sunshine, the eighth-seeded Martinez broke straight back, then became the first player in the tournament to win four games against the West German.

The Spaniard was rallying well at this time, winning her share of the big points with steady baseline play. But she couldn’t keep it up, dropped her serve to go down 4-5 and was finished off by Graf in the next game.

It was only the second defeat on clay this season for Martinez, who beat Gabriela Sabatini in Tampa, Fla., earlier this year.

In the other half of the women’s draw, Aranxta Sanchez made sure of one Spanish semifinalist as she whipped Jana Novotna of Czechoslovakia 6-2, 6-2.

At Beckenham, England, torrential rain forced the second day’s play in the men’s singles of the grass-court tennis tournament today to be called off without a ball being struck. Spectators were hoping to see top-seeded John McEnroe play a second-round match against West Germany’s Patrick Baur.