Muster May Conquer Trouble On Hardcourt

King of clay Thomas Muster jokes that when he visits Florida, his favorite surface is sand.

The Lipton Championships are played on hardcourts, but Muster turned the fourth round into a day at the beach Tuesday, defeating Alex Corretja 6-4, 6-4.

Winning Lipton would represent a breakthrough for the 29-year-old Muster. All but three of his 43 career titles have come on clay, saddling him with a reputation as a one-surface specialist.

Last year, Muster came into Lipton ranked No. 1, then lost his opening match to Nicolas Pereira. Until this year, he had advanced beyond the third round at Key Biscayne only once - in 1989, when he beat Yannick Noah in the semifinals, then missed the final because of an auto accident that nearly ended his career.

Muster’s opponent in the quarterfinals will be Swede Jonas Bjorkman, who advanced by beating Australian Mark Philippoussis 6-3, 6-4.

Top-ranked Pete Sampras, who could meet Muster in Sunday’s final, blitzed Magnus Larsson of Sweden 6-2, 6-0.

Jim Courier, seeking his biggest tournament title since 1993, defeated Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek 7-6 (8-6), 6-4. Courier will next face No. 4 Goran Ivanisevic, who beat 19-year-old Dominik Hrbaty of Slovakia 6-4, 6-4.

Spaniard Sergi Bruguera and Andrei Medvedev of the Ukraine also advanced and will meet in the quarterfinals.

In women’s play, Monica Seles won her fourth match in five days, rallying past Irina Spirlea of Romania 3-6, 6-2, 6-3. Her opponent in the semifinals Thursday will be Austrian Barbara Paulus, who defeated Sandrine Testud of France 6-3, 6-3.