PARIS, June 5: Monica Seles and Pete Sampras, (he two Americans toping the world tennis ran-

kings. had contrasting fortunes on an emotional day at the French Open on Tuesday, reports Reuter.

Seles, women's joint world number one with Steffi Graf, lost her first match at Roland Garros in seven years. Irowing out in the quarter-finals to 10th seed Jana Novotna 7-6. 6-3. It was the Yugoslav-born player's worst-ever result in Paris.

Sampras, in contrast, reached the semifinals for the first time in the one Grand Slam tournament he has never won. beating compatriot Jim Courier in a tense match 4-6. 6-7. 6-4. 6-4. 6-4.

The intense battle, which lasted three hours and 31 minutes, was the third five-setter Sampras had played since the start of the tournament.

"It was very emotional." said Sampras as he was leaving the court before bursting into tears as he was asked about his coach Tim Gullikson. who died recently of brain cancer.

"In tne fifth set. my mind was kind of a blank. I was very

tired," added the American, who did not even try to return Courier's serves in the end tp concentrate on his own service.

“The crowd helped me along. Fortunately I have a couple of days before my next match."

The Wimbledon champion suffered from cramp at the end of the fifth set and limped behind the baseline as Courier, winner here in 1991 and 1992. tried to hammer him out of the tournament by striking aces — 28 in all.

Sampras could not have had a wsrse start. He conceded the first set in a tie-break, which he lost 7-4. and dropped his serve early in the second. It was not until the third set that the match really started for him.

"I decided 1 would make life difficult for Jim. I was a little bit too anxious at first but he let me back into the match. My serve helped too." said Sampras, who meets Yevgeny Kafelnikov in the semifinals.

The Russian, seeded sixth, qualified for his second French Open semifinal in a row at the expense of Dutchman Richard Krajicek, a semifinalist in 1993.

Kafelnikov, who had not dropped a set in the earlier

rounds, was far too tast and clever from the baseline for serve-and-volley specialist Krajicek in a 6-3, 6-4. 6-7, 6-2 victory.

He now has every chance of becoming the first Russian to reach a Grand Slam final since Alex Metreveli in Wimbledon in 1973.

Seles’ return to Paris for the first time since she was stabbed by a Steffi Graf fan in. Hamburg in 1993. was also emotional. But it did not last the distance.

Her defeat by Novotna was only the second of her career at Roland Garros. The other was in 1989 when she was beaten by Graf in the semifinals of her first French Open.

"I Just played very scared. It was Just one of those days." Seles said. “Maybe rustiness was part of it out there but Jana was playing better.’

Seles bravely saved three set points in the first set tiebreak before losing it 9-7. Novotna, a semifinalist here in 1990. took a 3-0 lead in the second set and held that advantage until the end.

But Novotna is often jittery when it conies to finishing off an opponent and this was once again the case on Tuesday as Seles had three break points when the Czech was serving for the match.

But Novotna recovered to win in one hour and 28 minutes.

“Mentally I wai Well’ prepared and I knew 1 was playing well." said Novotna, who won the Spanish Open final 10 days ago.

Novotna now meets Spain's Aranxta Sanchez Vicario, who struggled to make the semifinals for the sixth consecutive time.

The 24-year-old Catalan, winner here in 1989 and 1994. had to fight for the three hours of another nervous contest to dismiss unseeded Slovak Karina Habsudova 6-2. 6-7. 10-8.

"It was a fight to the firiish. But when it mattered I managed to score and finish her off." said Sanchez, a losing finalist here last year against Steffi Grat.