By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, June 6, 1998; Page D10

PARIS, June 5 — Known for his wavy brown hair and teen idol looks, Spaniard Carlos Moya defeated countryman Felix Mantilla, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2, in today's first French Open men's singles semifinal, earning a chance to capture more than the constant attention of teenage girls. Sunday, Moya will play for his first Grand Slam title on center court at Roland Garros Stadium.

Shortly after Moya's victory, another Spaniard, Alex Corretja — a player best remembered for being on the court when Pete Sampras vomited into the flower pots two years ago at the U.S. Open — also earned a chance for increased athletic fame. By defeating Frenchman Cedric Pioline, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, Corretja moved into his first Grand Slam final against one of his best friends.

The two finalists and Mantilla went out for ice cream Thursday night and planned to have dinner together tonight. Neighbors in Barcelona, they have shared practice courts — very often clay — and largely undistinguished careers, at least to this point. Moya is ranked 12th in the world, Corretja 14th.

"I know I am going to play a friend," Corretja said. "I think we already won, both of us, and that's the most important thing because we are really good friends. No matter who the champion is, I think we already won the tournament."

Just a few weeks ago, Corretja won a small men's ATP Tour event in Dubai and called it "the most important win" of his career. His best Grand Slam finish? That quarterfinal loss to the ailing Sampras, in which Corretja double-faulted on match point of a fifth-set tiebreaker.

"This is a great sensation for me," Corretja, 24, said. "I've been working my whole life to find a place in a Grand Slam final."

Moya's status as a tennis hunk grew from his previous best Grand Slam finish — an appearance in the 1997 Australian Open final, which helped propel him to a career-high ranking of No. 5. That appearance also earned him a screaming female following that proved nearly overwhelming. An International Tennis Federation spokesperson today said fans tried to reach Moya at all hours, calling even in the middle of the night.

Moya, it is worth noting, is engaged to be married to Raluca Sandu, the daughter of the president of Romanian Tennis Federation.

The breathless attention on him here apparently has taken its toll. Considered one of the nicest players on the tour, Moya refused to give a post-match interview to tennis columnist Bud Collins, then answered an abbreviated 10 minutes of questions in English during the mandatory interview session open to reporters. He also declined requests for one-on-one interviews.

Moya did say he was far more ready for this final than he was for the Australian Open final last year, a straight-set loss to Sampras.

"I'm much more confident in myself," Moya said. "Maybe one time to play in the Grand Slam is a coincidence, but I don't think two times is a coincidence. . . . Everything was new for me in that moment. I was 20. Now I'm one year older. . . . Here I want [a championship] even more, and I'm going to do my best to win the tournament."

Moya's match today against Mantilla hinged on a decision he made when trailing, 3-0, in the third set.

"I just decided to take more risk than I was taking before," Moya said. "I decided it was going to be a change, otherwise that set was for him. . . . So I took a lot of risk on my forehand."

Corretja encountered a worn-out Pioline, who played a five-set quarterfinal match and three five-set matches overall in advancing to the semifinals. Pioline played sloppily, proving no match for the well-rested Corretja, who had a straight-set victory over Filip Dewulf in the quarterfinals.

Corretja and Moya will be the second pair of Spaniards to meet in the French Open final in five years. In 1994, Sergi Bruguera won his second straight French Open with a four-set victory over Alberto Berasategui.

"Alex is a close friend of mine," Moya said. "But when you get on the court, you fight like crazy. You run, you do everything — you try to step on him if necessary."

Said Corretja: "We have to find our game on the court, and then just enjoy the party. We should make a big party, because this is not normal. That's a great opportunity to have fun."