Connors Starts Slowly, but Wins

Top-seeded Jimmy Connors beat Sweden’s Jan Gunnarson in the second round of the $315,000 U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships at Memphis, Tenn., Wednesday, but the defending titlist got off to a slow start.

Connors, who is going after his third straight championship at Memphis, dropped the first set, 4-6, before rallying to win the second, 6-4, and finished strong with a 6-0 performance in the third.

“I didn’t know if he could keep that up,” Connors said after the match. “Once I got in there and won the second set, I was OK.”

Second-seeded Eliot Teltscher, fighting off a stomach virus, overcame Mark Dickson, 7-6, 6-4, in another second-round match and No. 3 Yannick Noah disposed of Sandy Mayer, 6-4, 6-3.

Young Boris Becker of Germany upset the tournament’s seventh seeded player, Tomas Smid of Czechoslovakia, 6-2, 6-4, with the aid of a rifle-like serve.