By Amy Shipley
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 5, 1998; Page C1

PARIS, June 4 — When Monica Seles' final forehand whizzed over the net, Martina Hingis didn't bother to lift her racquet. Nor did she watch. Before the ball landed, Hingis spun toward the sideline, as if eager to end what for her had been a debacle of a day.

Throughout her 6-3, 6-2 French Open semifinal loss, Hingis, the No. 1 player in the world, seemed uncharacteristically shaken by the powerful precision of Seles, the new surprise on the red clay of Stade Roland Garros.

Still grieving the death of her 64-year-old father, Karolj, three weeks ago, Seles nevertheless advanced to Saturday's final against Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) winner over Lindsay Davenport in today's other semifinal.

Seles mustered a furious, attacking approach reminiscent of her play earlier in the decade, when she held the world's No. 1 ranking and won the French Open for three straight years, 1990-92.

"I guess she surprised everybody," Hingis said. "She's been around for quite a while, then all of a sudden she was gone for almost four years. Here she is back, in better shape probably than ever."

Seles wore her father's wedding ring on a chain around her neck. She wore a mostly black tennis dress that, she said, was chosen before her father's death but "I'm really glad it's not a bright color, because it just feels more appropriate."

After the match, she talked about Karolj in somber but level tones, showing the same composure she showed on the court.

And she reveled in the victory — but only for a moment or two.

"It's the happiest I've been in four years," Seles said. "It's nice to see some sunshine after so many clouds. . . . [But] once I leave the site . . . it's not going to make a difference in my life. I'm still going to be missing people that I lost this year and last year. Some things in my life are not going to be better. Hopefully, that will change."

Taking balls so early she seemed to be leaning over them, and moving with her trademark head-down haste from point to point, Seles played with an almost chilling concentration and purpose. Hingis, 17, played poorly — she committed 31 unforced errors — and seemingly fatalistically, as if realizing she was about to lose her chance to win the only Grand Slam title she doesn't own. The loss also ended her Grand Slam streak. She had won the last three — the Australian and U.S. Open and Wimbledon.

Looking glum from early in the first set, Hingis at one point pounded herself in the head with her own racquet. Sitting in her courtside chair between games, she generally wore a look of disbelief, while Seles busied herself with drinking water, toweling herself off, readying herself to take the court again.

"Everybody knows I can play better tennis than I played today," Hingis said. "I just probably put a little bit too much pressure on myself. I just really wanted to win this tournament."

Seles, 24, could move to No. 5 in the rankings with a victory Saturday. She hasn't been the world's No. 1 player since April 1993, when an obsessed fan stabbed her in the back during a tournament in Germany, leading to a 27-month absence from the sport. When she finally returned in 1995, she credited her father, her longtime coach, for his support and encouragement.

Last year Seles played nearly a full schedule despite Karolj's struggle with stomach cancer, but she skipped the Australian Open this year to attend to him. She returned to the court for the Lipton Championships in March, but after the Italian Open in May, she returned to Sarasota, Fla.

She was at his bedside when he died May 14.

Seles decided to play the French Open as a means of getting on with her life, which for 15 months seemingly had stalled because of her father's sickness.

She said her pre-tournament preparation consisted of hitting a few tennis balls after Karolj's death. She had taken 11 days off.

"Coming into the tournament, I really wasn't that confident in my game," Seles said. "But in a weird way, I had a peace of mind. In Rome [for the Italian Open], I felt like I played a lot better tennis, but my mind just wasn't on the court. I think after deciding that I'm going to play, I felt really content with the decision. I knew if I could just take it one ball at a time, that's all that would matter."