European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Seles escapes near miss bid from Capriati new York a Monica Seles outlasted Jennifer Capriati to reach the . Open final Friday after two hours of grunts and ground strokes in a match that turned the advantage of serving into a major liability. Neither player held serve through the last seven games of the third set and through eight Points of the tiebreaker As each walloped returns harder than the other served. Seles finally prevailed 6-3, 36, 7-6 73 by winning the last five Points of the tiebreaker actually winning two serves during that Span to set up a championship match saturday against Martina Navratilova who ousted no. 1 seed Steffi Graf 7-6 7-26-7 6-86-4 earlier. A a it seven tougher when you know you could have had the match in your hands and it slips away a Capriati said with tears in her eyes. Capriati bidding to become at 15, the youngest woman Champion in . Open history served twice for the match at 5-4 and 6-5 in the third set but each time the 17-year-old Seles refused to be beaten. A i  hold my serve. I was always fighting Back a a Seles said. Seles cringed when she netted a backhand at 30-40 in the ninth game then stalked off the court disgusted with herself after smacking another backhand Long. But with All the Power of her lungs she accompanied a two toned Grunt with a backhand Cross court on Capriati a first serve of the 10th game and watched As Capriati flicked it off her Frame. The stars and stripes ports september 8,1991 c Page 24 Capriati lost that game with a forehand that clipped the tape popped up and bounced Back but she too would not relent easily. Grunting at a slightly lower pitch but no less audibly Capriati won Selest first serve in the next game with a hard deep backhand and broke her at 30 when Seles hit a backhand that drifted just Long. A no Way a Seles squealed but the Call stood. Once again serving for the match Capriati needed Only two Points to win at 30-15 when Seles ripped a huge forehand Down the line. Capriati raced after the Ball but swung and missed As her Racket flew out of her hand. Capriati mopped her face and returned to serve but she had nothing left. Edberg reaches first final by Hal Bock new York a second seeded Stefan Edberg reached the finals of the . Open for the first time in his career eliminating three time Champion Ivan Lendl 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 on saturday. Edberg wore Down Lendl keeping the pressure on the tournaments no. 5 seed with Strong ground strokes setting up his volleys. The Victory gave him a shot at his fifth grand slam championship. Edberg has played in seven finals but never at the open. A year go he came into the tournament As the no. 1 seed but was eliminated in the Erst round. He becomes just the second player in open history to go out in the first round one year and play for the title the next. The other was Mai Anderson who won the tournament in 1957. A the open Hasni to been my Lucky place a Edberg said. A maybe we can change that. Winning makes life easier  Edberg said he was aware of Lendlr a ability to come Back. A you can to give him too Many chances a he said. A the was not As consistent As he has Monica Seles returns a Volley to Jennifer Capriati during their semifinal match , Jarryd Nab doubles title new York a australians John Fitzgerald and Sweden Sanders Jarryd added the . Open men s doubles Crown Friday to their 1991 titles at the French open and Wimbledon their 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 Victory Over the no. 2 seeds americans Scott Davis and David Pate makes Fitzgerald and Jaryd the first doubles team since John new Combe and Tony Roche to win three grand slam trophies in one year. New Combe and Roche took the 1967 doubles events at the australian French and . National tournaments. Davis and Pate won their first Ever grand slam title at this years australian open. Been in the past a Edberg said of Lendl. A it was very unusual. He did no to serve very Well  Lendl who reached the open finals eight straight times during the 1980s and won three consecutive crowns from 1985-87, finished the summer without at least one grand slam Victory for the first time since 1983. Edberg next plays the Winner of saturdays semifinal Between Jimmy Connors and Jim courier. That match climaxed the opens super saturday program featuring two menus semifinals with the women a final in , pirates split doubleheader inside sports Valvano Happy with his to Job Page 18 Barkley a opinions match court style a Page 21 Angels choose Herzog to run personnel a Page 23 a Fly a 2nd weekend features bitter rivalries a Page 23 Pittsburgh a Zane Smith pitched a three hitter and Jay Bell Hom ered As the Pittsburgh pirates beat the los Angeles dodgers 3-1 Friday night for a split of the doubleheader Between the no division leaders. Jose Lind and Orlando Merced had Bis in the fourth inning for the pirates who lost the opener 4-3 on Mike Scios Ciao a Solo Homer in the ninth off Stan Belinda. The braves beat the mets 4-2 and Trail the dodgers by a half game in the no West. Pittsburgh a Victory was its ninth in 11 games and came without Andy Van Slyke and Bobby Bonilla. Van Slyke sprained his right ankle in the opener and is listed other major league games on p. 22 As Day to Day Bonilla was rested. Smith 13-10 allowed Juan Samuel a double and Kal Daniels run scoring single in the first then did no to surrender another hit until Gary Carters infield single in the seventh. Smith who struck out eight and walked one retired 19 of the last 20 hitters. Kevin Gross 8-10 gave up nine hits in seven innings. With the dodgers leading 1-0, third baseman Lenny Harris Drew an error when he  Field Steve Buech Clos bad hop grounder. Don Slaught and Lind singled tying the score. Smith then sacrificed and Slaught scored on Merced s groundnut. Bell added a Lead off Homer in the seventh his 14th, As the dodgers lost for just the second time in eight games. In the opener Bonilla drove in Al three runs for the pirates and the dodgers won after blowing a two run Lead in the eighth. Scioscia a one out Homer was his fifth this season and the first run allowed at Home by Stan Belinda 4-5 in 21 innings since May 23