MICHAEL CHANG, who loves playing the Asia Pacific circuit, might finally satisfy his fans in the region by ending a seven year grand slam drought with victory at the Australian Open in Melbourne tomorrow.

Chang, the world number five, the American born son of Chinese parents, booked his place in the final against Germany's Boris Becker with a 6-1, 6- 4, 7-6 semifinal demolition of defending champion Andre Agassi.

The super mobile Chang mastered the almost gale force conditions better than his compatriot, and almost sat back and watched as Agassi unleashed a string of uncharacteristic errors.

Chang was wielding a longer racquet, painstakingly developed by his tennis equipment maker, Prince. The makers invested 16 months of research to add 2.5 cm to the length of the racquet to extend it to 71 cm.

Chang used it to lethal effect on centre court, sending down 13 aces at speeds of up to 191 kph, only a little slower than the tournament's biggest serves so far.

"Today was definitely a good serving day," Chang said after the match in typical understatement.

Chang not only used his new racket to devastating effect, but he was all over the court, running down potential winners, varying the pace of the game with clever top spin and waiting for the Agassi mistakes.

Fourth seed Becker, who won the title in 1991, will be no push over after blitzing unseeded Australian veteran Mark Woodforde 6-4, 6-2, 6-0 in only one hour 38 minutes.

But Chang's confident victory against Agassi, the world number two, in just over two hours has given him a chance to repay his Asian supporters.

"It seems like in Melbourne the Asian population has grown each year, at least they have grown when they have come to watch me, so that has been wonderful," he said.

Chang dominated Asian tournaments last year, but grand slam victories, the highest of international credentials, have eluded him since winning the French Open in 1989 as a teenager.

He suffered just two losses in 4 matches on last year's circuit through Asia and Australia, where he won tournaments in Beijing. Tokyo and Hong Kong and lost in the Australian Open semi finals.

And he has picked up the thread at Flinders Park this year where he has reached the final - his first on a non clay surface without dropping a set.

"Tennis for me in the last week and a half has been great," said Chang, a devout Christian who looked to his family in the crowd during yesterday's match and motioned to them to pray for his victory.

"I'm hoping for the final on Sunday it will be even better, so I'm looking forward to that and excited to see what the Lord has in store for me."

Chang, who cuts an almost priestly figure beside the wild dress and quick wit of Agassi, has been the quiet achiever of this tournament, playing solid tennis and evincing an unshakable confidence in his own abilities.

It is a measure of the diminutive American's form that Becker rated him before this event as one of the few men able to clinch the title.

"He really took control early in all the matches and he didn't give anyone a chance," said Becker.

"He's in excellent form, which did not surprise me because before the tournament I knew that he was one of a few guys who actually could pull it off."

But Becker is in top form himself and was brutal in his defeat of Woodforde, who had surprised everyone - including himself - in winning his way to a first grand slam semi final at the 38th attempt.

The 28 year old German ignored sentiment and a partisan crowd to blast Woodforde off the court, appropriately wrapping up the centre court match with two aces in a whitewash third set.

Becker, who has not won a grand slam title since his 1991 victory at Flinders Park, was asked afterwards how hungry he was for a sixth grand slam title.

"Since I haven't been eating for the last couple of years. I'm quite hungry," he said.

"I was quite close last year at Wimbledon and I couldn't manage it, but I'm in the final again and I'm going to take another shot at it."