Tennis Roundup : Davis, Mayotte in Men’s Final; Lloyd Plays Navratilova Today

Scott Davis pulled off the latest upset in the $1.8-million Lipton International Players Championships at Delray Beach, Fla., Friday night, defeating 11th-seeded Tomas Smid of Czechoslovakia, 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, to advance to the men’s final against former Stanford teammate Tim Mayotte Sunday.

Earlier, Mayotte eliminated Sweden’s Jan Gunnarsson, 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1.

It will be the biggest payday for both men. The winner will collect $112,500 and the runner-up gets $56,250.

Today, in the longest rivalry in open tennis history, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert Lloyd also play for a $112,500 first-place prize. The two have met 62 times. Each has won 31 matches.

Davis had to weather three rain delays to beat Smid, the last remaining seeded player in the men’s draw. “I was a little tentative coming in,” Davis said. “It was my first time (playing) under the lights. But after the (rain delay) break, I relaxed a bit and became more aggressive.”

Said Mayotte: “I worked 15 years to be in a place like this. They say I haven’t won a title. I used to be sensitive about it. But it’s just one of those things you have to go through.”

Stan Smith beat South Africa’s Ray Moore, 6-4, 6-2; Australia’s Colin Dibley defeated Marty Riessen, 6-4, 6-2; Bob Lutz beat Andrew Pattison, 7-6, 6-2, and Cliff Richey ousted Chile’s Jaime Fillol, 6-3, 6-0, in the quarterfinals of a $40,000 tournament at the La Quinta Hotel Tennis Club in La Quinta, Calif.