MERCEDES BENZ CUP QUALIFYING: KARIMOV SURVIVES TORRID COURT, SERVES.

Byline: Dana Haddad Daily News Staff Writer

The temperature on the court surface Friday at the Racquet Centre in Studio City rose steadily from 105 degrees at noon to at least 120 - maximum reading on the thermometer - by 2:30 p.m. And the heat coming off Michael Redmond's powerful serves was incalculable.

But Eugene Karimov, a skinny 24-year-old from Cal Lutheran, withstood the brutal treatment of the elements and Redmond to win 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 in 2-1/2 sweaty hours. He advances to today's semifinal round of the Mercedes Benz Cup Wild Card prequalifying tournament.

Should the Encino resident emerge as champion Sunday, his reward will be a spot in the main qualifier. He would have to win the championship of that event just to get into the Mercedes Benz Cup, which starts July 27 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center.

With his soft serves and his counter-punching style, Karimov would appear to have the longest of shots. But then again, no obstacle seems to faze him.

``I'm not on the verge of collapsing,'' he said. ``So I'm OK.''

He was better than OK in short-circuiting Redmond, a tall, powerful serve-and-volleyer from Los Angeles who appeared to have more momentum in the third set. Redmond easily won the second set by setting up his volleys with good ground strokes. In the first set, Redmond charged the net carelessly and Karimov picked him apart with lobs and passing shots.

Redmond looked stronger in the third set. But Karimov stayed on the baseline, kept all his shots in play and hoped that Redmond would crack - which he finally did in the sixth game. On his third break point, the 14th point of the game, Karimov uncharacteristically slammed a forehand return winner to break Redmond's serve for a 4-2 lead. Karimov lost only two points in the final two games.

``I knew we were both tired and he would make a mistake eventually,'' Karimov said. ``When he did, I capitalized.''

Though he made only about 25 percent of his first serves, Redmond, 24, was not disappointed with his effort. ``No fatigue. I wasn't tired,'' he said. ``(Karimov) played well. I give him credit for grinding it out in the third.''

Karimov is playing his first tournament since May, when he reached the semifinals of the NCAA Division III championships. He has never faced his 10:30 a.m. semifinal opponent today, Geoff Abrams of Newport Beach. Seventh-seeded Abrams, who polished off No. 3 and former champion Otis Smith of Los Angeles 6-3, 6-3, plays at Stanford and is a former U.S. Junior National team member.

He's another tall, physical serve-and-volleyer. Does that bother Karimov?

``No problem,'' Karimov said. ``I'm used to it.''