European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 a a the stars and stripes saturday september 8,1990 Graf gains final new York apr defending Champion Steffi Graf advanced to the final of the . Open by defeating Arantha Sanchez Vicario 6-1,6-2 Friday. With rain in the forecast and skies growing Darker Graf the top seed took Only 55 minutes in making her fourth . Open straight trip to the final at the National Tennis Center. A i did t make mistakes from the beginning on a Graf said. A i Wasny to forcing it. A i knew i had to stay in the match. I could t have lapses. I tried to concentrate on every single Point and i did it quite Well i think.1 despite the score Graf had to Battle through the first five games of the match which took Only 19 minutes. She broke Sanchez the no. 6 seed in the fourth game then fought off a break Point and through four deuces before holding her service to grab a 4-1 Lead. After that the australian open Winner was in High gear providing too much Power and too Many problems for Sanchez. A i  play much better a Graf said. A i made Good forehand i served Well. All in All my game was very Good. A a i was playing too fast for her  Sanchez whose Only Victory Over Graf in nine career meetings came in the final of the French open last year screamed at the Baseline judge twice when she thought grass deep ground strokes had sailed Long. It really did no to matter As Graf simply overpowered the spaniard. A she has a lot of Confidence All the shots. I think she a going to win the tournament a Sanchez said of  from Page 21 Stetti Graf shows off her forehand in new York during her 6-1,6-2 pounding of Arantha Sanchez Vicario in fridays semifinals. The second women a semifinal pitting fifth seeded Gabriela Sabatini against no. 8 Mary Joe Fernandez was scheduled for later Friday. An to will show the women a title match at 5 . Saturday the menus final at 10 . Sunday. Power is the name of the menus game and Boris Becker and Andre Agassi Are its major proponents. Becker the defending Champion and Agassi will Battle in the menus semifinal saturday after posting convincing victories thursday. Becker shifted into High gear in the second set to overpower nth seeded Aaron Krickstein 3-6, 6-3, 6-2,6-2. No. 4 Agassi used his Long Range Baseline game to bombard unseeded Andrei Cherkasov 6-2, 6-2, 6-3. The second Semi pits John Mcenroe a four time . Open Champion who is unseeded this year and making his first semifinal appearance at the National Tennis Center since 1985, against 12th-seeded Pete Sampras. Agassi says his Battle with Becker will be Power personified. A i done to think either of us have any tricks up our sleeve. We re just going to come out firing our guns and see who gets shot a he said. Becker approached the net 45 times in his match three times As Many As Krickstein and won 28 of those Points. Becker made Only 48 percent of his first serves in the opening set and had just one Ace. In the second and third sets he got in 70 percent of his first serves and had a total of eight aces to Krickstein a two. At the end of the match Becker said a i thought he had no Energy. His legs were tired i think. Aaron played very Well for a set and a  the match went four sets. Becker predicted a Long match against ab8si> a the puts so Many balls Back. You have to run Down so Many balls a Becker said. Asked to forecast the outcome Becker said a six four in the fifth set for  Agassi also sounded confident but cautious. A you can never count Boris out. Hell have Tough matches and squeak through them and then later in the tournament play the Best Tennis of his life a Agassi said. A hopefully ill keep him out there All Day Long. Then i think things will go better for me. I feel pretty Good the Way in a  Agassi said Becker a is known for some great Tennis at the right time. Hopefully game what he s going in mine and that a our strength. A if he stays at the Baseline you la see a big smile on my  Witt wins 12th in Row for Texas Garnett recovered at the Colorado 20. Four plays later Tommy Vardell scored from the 1 with 4 09 remaining in the Quarter. Colorado then mounted its first scor ing threat. Hagans 34-Yard run and a 26-Yard pass to Rico Smith gave Colorado a Iburth-and-1 at the Stanford 35. But Bie Niemy was stuffed for no gain. With 2 33 left in the half Hagans errant pitch out was recovered by Seyon Albert at the Colorado 14. But Stanford promptly lost 20 Yards on a double penalty a illegal procedure and a personal foul a before fullback Ellery Roberts fumbled at the Colorado 20. The buffs looked ready to score just before the half. Hagan passed 30 Yards to Smith and Hagan scrambled 37 Yards to the Stanford 13, where Jimmy Klein made a to saving tackle. Three plays later Hagans pass in the end zone was intercepted by a diving Kevin Scott. Colorado roared Back then Stanford held to just one first Down in the second and third quarters combined kick started its offence Early in the final Quarter. Palum Bis completed passes of 10 and 19 Yards to Mil bum and a 13-yarder to Chris Walsh setting up Hopkins Field goal. On the previous series Colorado missed a 50-Yard Field goal after Smith dropped a pass at the goal line. By the associated press Arlington Texas a Bobby Witt set a club record with his 12th straight Victory thursday night As the Texas rangers routed the Kansas City royals 12-1 with the help of Ruben sierras first grand slam. Witt 15-8 for the season is 12-0 in his last 14 starts. His last defeat was june 17 at Seattle. Witt who allowed three hits and struck out eight in seven innings was tied with Ferguson Jenkins for the team record in consecutive victories. Joe Bitker obtained from Oakland in the Harold Baines Trade came on in Relief in his Texas debut. Kansas City a Chris Codiroli 0 Bobby Witt 1, making Only his second major league Start since the 1988 season lasted 1% innings giving up six hits five runs and four walks. Texas erased a 1-0 deficit in the first inning when Sierra hit the first grand slam of his career a 444-foot shot into the right Field seats that scored Jeff Huson Julio Al Roundup Franco and Rafael Palmeiro. Franco hit a three run Homer in the seventh off reliever Israel Sanchez. Kansas City touched Witt for an unearned run in the top of the inning. Kevin Seitzer scored All the Way from first on George Brett s double which Sierra had trouble trapping Down the right Field line. It was scored an unearned run. Texas scored Solo runs in the second on Jack Daugherty a bases loaded walk in the third on Juan Gonzalez a double and in the fourth on Pete inca Vigilia sri single. Daugherty and Mike Stanley singled across runs in the sixth for Texas. Every Ranger starter had a hit in the 17-hit attack. In other games thursday indians 6, tigers 0 Detroit a Candy Maldonado drove in five runs leading Cleveland to a Victory Over Detroit in a rain shortened five inning game. Tom Candiotti 14-10 got the win allowing seven hits in five innings while Randy Nosek 1-1 took the loss. Nosek pitched to four batters in the first and retired none. The game which started 22 minutes late was stopped just after the tigers took the Field for the top of the sixth inning. The indians took the Lead in the first scoring two runs without a hit. Angels 12, Yankees 6,11 innings new York a Dante Bichette who tied the game with a ninth inning Home run doubled Home the go ahead run in a six run 11th to lift California Over new York. Bichette a double off Lee Guetterman 9-5 broke a 6-6 tie and the Angels poured across five More runs on a bases loaded walk to Rich Schu two run single by Johnny Ray and rib singles by Devon White and Luis Polonia. The rally made a Winner of Bob Mcclure 1-0the fifth Angels Pitcher. California built a 5-0 Lead in the first two innings but the Yankees knocked out Angels starter Mark Langston in a four run fourth and tied the game in the fifth. The game was enlivened by a controversial umpires Call reversal that nullified a two run first inning Homer by the Yankees Jim Leyritz. Television replays indicated the Ball was comfortably fair. Leyritz eventually struck out and was tossed out of the game for arguing with the umpires along with Yankee manager stump Merrill and first base coach Mike Ferraro