By JAKE NIALL

Australian Open guide

Once he worried about Tony Roche's seating arrangements in a big match

against Pat Rafter. Now, he doesn't care who he plays or where he plays.

He doesn't concern himself with the Petr Korda crisis or other distractions.

He has become the unflappable Scud. It was appropriate that Mark

Philippoussis donned a Hawthorn jumper on Thursday because, in his

after-match comments, he sounds increasingly like a disciple of former

Hawthorn coach Allan Jeans. Jeans was famous for ``taking it one week at

a time'', for never looking beyond the next match. Not publicly anyway.

Philippoussis, too, takes it one match at a time. While everyone was getting

worked up yesterday about the prospect of a Scud-Rafter match in the fourth

round of the Australian Open, Philippoussis claimed he didn't bother to look

beyond his first match, in which he tackles American Geoff Grant.

``I just know who I play first round. That's all I like knowing,'' said

Philippoussis after his gritty three-set win over Michael Chang at Kooyong

yesterday. ``There are no easy matches. Everything is tough.'' The media

viewed Scud's Jeans-like approach to the fixture with a grain of salt. How,

asked one reporter, would he avoid knowing about prospective opponents

when it was all over the newspapers? ``I don't look at the papers,'' replied

Philippoussis. ``

He went further, suggesting he ``couldn't care less'' who he played. ``If you

want to do well, you've got to beat everyone anyway.'' Then came the

inevitable question of expectations. Philippoussis was asked if he, like

Rafter, found the local hysteria unsettling. True to the new unflappable

Scud, he didn't care. ``I love it. It doesn't worry me where I play. I'm going to

play the same way no matter where I am.''

He may not provide the media with quotable fodder, but yesterday provided

further evidence that his single-minded, yet relaxed, approach is getting

results. His victory over Chang came in the type of match that you would not

have backed him to win even six months ago: It was hot, he lost the first set

in a tiebreak and he was up against a dogged ball machine who retrieved

everything.

But the new Scud prevailed, winning the final two sets 7-5, 6-3 to take a

berth in today's final against Thomas Enqvist. He was able to hit enough

winners and serve well enough (15 aces) to offset the predictable greater

number of unforced errors (35 to 17).

Philippoussis called the match tough. ``It was a good match to get out of.''

The turning point came late in the second set, at 5-6 and 40-30 with Chang

serving. Scud was eating a lemon stick. He hadn't finished. Chang

generously allowed him to eat it and wash it down with a drink, delaying the

next point. The delay seemed to break Chang's concentration.

Philippoussis duly won the point, the set, the next three games and the

match. ``I guess I kind of fell for the rookie play a little bit,'' said Chang.

Philippoussis said there was no ploy. He was just relaxing.

Chang was asked afterwards about Philippoussis' prospects and whether

he thought the Scud had what it took to become a fixture in the top 10.

Chang said Philippoussis had improved in every aspect of his game and

that he shouldn't have any trouble making the top 10 (he is number 15 now).

The tricky part, however, would be staying there. Chang seemed to imply

that this would pose difficulties for Philippoussis.

``Staying (in the top-10) requires a lot of other things. If Mark can handle

those other things - as far as the outside pressures, as far as the sponsors

and being in the public eye a little bit more - then I think he's going to do very

well.''

In the other two matches yesterday, both dead rubbers, Yevgeny Kafelnikov

defeated Korda 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 while Michael Tillstrom, a substitute for the

injured Goran Ivanisevic, beat Tim Henman 7-5, 6-1. Rafter will play Tillman

in an exhibition match at noon in a curtain-raiser to the final at 2pm.