HINGIS EARNS 100TH WIN.

At 16, Martina Hingis already has 100 career victories as a professional.

Hingis, the Australian Open champion, reached that plateau Friday with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over South Africa's Amanda Coetzer in a 45-minute quarterfinal of the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo.

Top-ranked Steffi Graf also reached the semifinals, defeating fifth-seeded Iva Majoli of Croatia 6-2, 6-3.

Hingis will take a 13-match winning streak into today's semifinal against fourth-seeded Anke Huber of Germany, a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 winner over sixth-seeded Lindsay Davenport.

Graf will face eighth-seeded Brenda Schultz-McCarthy of the Netherlands, a 6-1, 6-0 winner over third-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain.

NFL: At age 65, Bud Carson is returning to the NFL as the St. Louis Rams' defensive coordinator.

The hiring of Carson gives new coach Dick Vermeil five former pro head coaches on his staff. Carson is best known for building the Pittsburgh Steelers' ``Steel Curtain'' defense in the 1970s, but he led Cleveland to the AFC title game in 1989 as head coach.

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Photo: Martina Hingis, above, reached the semifinals of the Pan Pacific Open by stopping Amanda Coetzer in a 45-minute match.

Associated Press