Tennis Roundup : Wilander and Jarryd Escape Upset Bids in First Round

Sweden’s 1-2 punch of top-seeded Mats Wilander and second-seeded Anders Jarryd overcame upset bids Thursday in the first round of the $200,000 River Oaks International at River Oaks Country Club in Houston.

Wilander, ranked No. 6 in the world, survived a controversial second-set tiebreaker to defeat Boris Becker of West Germany, 6-3, 7-6, and Jarryd overcame Guillermo Vilas of Argentina for the first time, 5-7, 7-6, 6-2.

Becker battled Wilander to a 6-6 deadlock in their tie-breaker and then, unnoticed by the umpire or Wilander, served four consecutive points, including two serves that should have gone to Wilander.

Although Becker served out of turn, he made four straight errors and lost the match.

Argentina’s Gabriella Sabatini, 14, upset fifth-seeded Carling Bassett, 6-4, 6-3, to gain the quarterfinals of the $250,000 Women’s Tennis Assn. championships at Amelia Island, Fla.

Today, Sabatini will play top-seeded Chris Evert Lloyd, who cruised into the quarterfinals, shutting out ninth-seeded Bettina Bunge 6-0, 6-0.