TENNIS ROUNDUP : Pioline Upsets Edberg in Windy Monte Carlo

Unseeded Frenchman Cedric Pioline upset top-seeded Stefan Edberg, 6-4, 6-4, on a windy Saturday in the semifinals of the $1.65-million Monte Carlo Open.

In today’s final, Pioline will play Sergi Bruguera of Spain, who outlasted defending champion Thomas Muster of Austria, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (9-7), in the other semifinal. The 11th-seeded Bruguera, who won this event two years ago, held off three match points against the eighth-seeded Muster.

A strong wind affected the matches, with clay blowing across the court.

“It was a big problem,” said Pioline, ranked 29th in the world. “The wind was turning around a lot and we had the clay coming into our eyes. It was difficult to control the ball. But I think I managed to get out of it pretty well.”

The wind was so strong that the organizers removed the flags from the poles between the first and second semifinal.

“It wasn’t easy for us to play, for either of us,” said Edberg, who is ranked No. 3. “The conditions were not very good today. It made it difficult to play good tennis. But I think he played better in the wind today than I did.”

In the other semifinal, Bruguera rallied in the third set after being two breaks down at 3-0. He held off three match points in the ninth game, when Muster led 5-3.

“I think I played the right shots on the match points, but it just didn’t want to happen,” Muster said.

The wind blew harder during the tiebreaker, causing both players to miss key shots. Muster lost at least three points with unforced errors on easy returns that carried far out.

Top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and second-seeded Conchita Martinez, both of Spain, won semifinal matches in the La Familia Open at Barcelona.

Sanchez Vicario defeated fourth-seeded Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 7-6 (7-5), 6-0, and Martinez defeated Germany’s Sabine Hack, 7-5, 6-4.