Grand Prix Masters Tennis : Jarryd Denies McEnroe a Rematch With Sundstrom

It had the look of an off-Broadway hit in the making: John McEnroe against his Davis Cup conqueror, Henrik Sundstrom, in the second round of the Masters.

McEnroe, however, didn’t even want to hear about it, noting that Sundstrom first had to dispose of fellow Swede Anders Jarryd in a preliminary match.

“I don’t think he’s even the favorite in that match,” McEnroe scoffed. “Jarryd should be favored. He’s better on this surface.”

Tuesday, that offhand prediction proved to be as precise as one of McEnroe’s backhand volleys. The quick Supreme Court surface and Jarryd’s quicker serves combined to wear down Sundstrom, 6-4, 6-1, in the opening round of the Masters before a crowd of 9,524 at Madison Square Garden.

But all is not lost. McEnroe and Jarryd have a history, too--a stormy confrontation in Stockholm last November that eventually resulted in McEnroe’s three-week suspension from the tour.

Flashback: Jarryd had won the first set, 6-1, and was leading in the second, when McEnroe began bashing tennis balls into the stands, screaming, calling he chair umpire “a jerk,” and using his racket to wipe out a tray of water cups.

Having gotten that out of his system, McEnroe came back to win the match in three sets. He was also fined $2,100--which put him over the annual $7,500 limit--but Jarryd wanted more. He wanted McEnroe defaulted and was furious when he wasn’t.

“He (McEnroe) had a problem in Stockholm,” Jarryd said rather diplomatically Tuesday. “I was upset. First, I have the match, then I lost the match. . . . His behavior may have (affected the outcome) a little bit.”

So, maybe there will be some quarterfinal intrigue, after all. Jarryd, for his part, is helping the promotion.

“McEnroe is a superb player on this surface, and it’s going to be a tough match for me,” he said. “But at the same time, if I serve like this, he’s going to have problems breaking me. If I serve this well, I have a chance against anybody.”

Jarryd’s serve was in masterful form against Sundstrom. He had 12 service winners, two aces, and generally kept Sundstrom on his heels, unable to tee off with his formidable topspin forehand.

The serve was working perfectly,” Jarryd said, almost surprised. “He played badly, not good at all, I think.”

Sundstrom agreed with that assessment but attributed his poor level of play to the pulled muscle in his lower back, an injury he incurred last week at the Young Masters in Birmingham, England.

“It was nagging me the whole match,” Sundstrom said. “To win matches here, you have to be 100%. At least, I have to be 100%.”

In the other preliminary match Tuesday, Aaron Krickstein made history when, at 17, he became the youngest player to ever participate in the Masters.

Bigger news would have been Krickstein becoming the youngest player ever to win a Masters match, but that was not to be. Instead, it was Johan Kriek beating Krickstein in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3, to advance to Thursday’s quarterfinals against Mats Wilander.