``With the conditions tonight, it wasn't fun to play, it wasn't the best of tennis, but I got through it,'' the top seed said after his workmanlike 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 win today over the player he had lost to at the same stage at Australian Open.

``In the third set, I couldn't feel my racket. My hands were so cold. It's a matter of just hanging in there,'' said Sampras who belted 13 aces and 48 winners, compared to 27 for Kucera, who had picked off crowd favourite Andre Agassi in the previous round.

In reaching the semifinals for the sixth time in nine years, Sampras closed within two victories of his fifth US Open crown and a record-tying 12th Grand Slam singles title.

``I can't play much better than that,'' said Rafter, after dominating performance against doubles partner JonasBjorkman that earned his return trip to the semifinals.

The red-hot Australian serve and volleyer, improving with every match as his title defence moves into its final stages, ousted the 12th-seeded Swedish Davis cup star 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 in just under two hours to take his remarkable summer hardcourt record to 23-2.

The other semifinal matchups will be decided tonight in the bottom half of the draw where French Open champion Carlos Moya is the lone remaining seeded player. The 10th-seed Moya will face Swede Magnus Larsson and Aussie Mark Philippoussis takes on Sweden's Thomas Johansson.

The women's draw sees an all-American semifinal between second-seed Lindsay Davenport and fifth-seed Venus Williams.

Williams staged an impressive comeback to oust fourth-seeded French Open champion Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 2-6, 6-1, 6-1. Davenport swept aside 13th-seeded South African Amanda Coetzer 6-0, 6-4.

Top seed and defending champion Martina Hingis will meet third-seeded Wimbledon champion Jana Novotna intomorrow's other women's semifinal.

Bjorkman delighted television audiences last year with his comical John McEnroe and Boris Becker impressions. It's not clear if even the real Becker or McEnroe in their prime could have beaten Rafter the way he played yesterday.

So much was everything going Rafter's way that even some of his miss-hits were landing for winners.

``Today, he just played too good. His returning and passing shots were working better than I've ever seen,'' said Rafter's good friend Bjorkman.

``You know I've played him before. I haven't seen him playing like this,'' Bjorkman said of Rafter, who had just one unforced error in a near perfect first set and 14 for the match in extremely windy conditions.

Sampras rolled through the first set, which he ended with consecutive aces, without facing a break point from Kucera, who has one of the best returns of serve in the game.

The top seed was broken early in the second set but before falling behind 0-3 he took the third game to deuce with ahighlight film leaping overhead.

RESULTS (prefix number denotes seeding).

Men's Singles (QF): 10-Carlos Moya (Spa) bt 7-Alex Corretja (Spa) 7-6 (7-4), 7-5, 6-3; 3-Patrick Rafter (Aus) bt 12-Jonas Bjorkman (Swe) 6-2, 6-3, 7-5

Doubles (SF): 15-Sandon Stolle (Aus)/ Cyril Suk (Cze) bt 4-Mahesh Bhupathi/ Leander Paes (Ind) 6-3, 7-6 (7-4).

Women Singles (QF): 2-Lindsay Davenport (US) bt 13-Amanda Coetzer (SA) 6-0, 6-4; 5-Venus Williams (US) bt 4-Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spa) 2-6, 6-1, 6-1

Doubles (QF): 2-Lindsay Davenport (US)/ Natasha Zvereva (Bel) bt Miho Saeki/ Yuka Yoshida (Jap) 6-1, 6-1; 1-Martina Hingis (Swi)/ Jana Novotna (Cze) bt 14-Barbara Schett (Aut)/ Patty Schnyder (Swi) 6-3, 6-4.

Mixed Doubles (SF): Serena Williams (US)/ Max Mirnyi (Bel) bt Debbie Graham (US)/ Sandon Stolle (Aus) 6-7 (5-7), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2; 3-Lisa Raymond (US)/ Patrick Galbraith (US) bt 2-Rennae Stubbs (Aus)/ Jim Grabb (US) 6-3, 6-4.