Steady as He Goes, Vilas Reaches Semifinals

Guillermo Vilas used a steady baseline game Saturday to defeat eighth-seeded Libor Pimek, 6-4, 6-2, and advance to the semifinals of the U.S. Pro Tennis Championship at Brookline, Mass.

Today, Vilas will meet the winner of Saturday night’s match between top-seeded Mats Wilander and fifth-seeded Henrik Sundstrom, both of Sweden.

For nearly a decade, the unseeded Vilas was one of the world’s best players. But with his ranking dropping to 58 and his age rising to 32, the Argentine is aware that he cannot squander the next few years.

“I need to play well, fast, because time is running out. But I think I’m on the right track. I’m getting closer to my game,” said Vilas, who upset defending champion Aaron Krickstein earlier in the tournament.

Pimek opened the match using an attacking strategy, but Vilas passed him easily, forcing the Czechoslovakian to retreat to the baseline.

“Pimek was trying to make me change my game, but I perfected my style and adjusted more to his play,” Vilas said.

Pimek agreed Vilas’ comeback is succeeding.

“I think he is playing very well now,” Pimek said, “Against him you have to stay back, and that’s very tough mentally.”

In another quarterfinal match, newcomer Bruno Oresar of Yugoslavia advanced with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Juan Aguilera of Spain. The 18-year-old Oresar will play 11th-seeded Martin Jaite of Argentina, who defeated Paul McNamee of Australia, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.

“I’m really surprised at myself,” Oresar said. “It’s hard to think. I’ve never played any of those guys.

“I’m not really doing anything special against anybody, I’m still playing tennis for fun and I’m too young to start thinking about money.”

Oresar borrowed money from his parents to travel to Brookline.

Jaite struggled in the first set against McNamee but, with the score tied 2-2 in the second, the Argentine reeled off the next 10 games.

Sixth-seeded John Sadri, who had lost five straight matches to Tim Mayotte, including three this year, turned the tables at Newport, R.I., and routed the No. 2-seeded player, 6-4, 6-3, in the semifinals of the Volvo Hall of Fame Championships.

Sadri will play Tom Gullikson for the $20,000 first prize. Gullikson upset fourth-seeded David Pate, 7-6, 6-7, 7-5.

Sadri has won only two Grand Prix tournaments in his career, while Gullikson has lost the four previous finals he has reached.

Sadri, ranked No. 48 in the world, started fast against Mayotte, No. 18 and a winner over Sadri in the semifinals of this tournament last year. He broke the 1984 Hall of Fame runner-up’s serve in the first game.

“That gave me a boost,” Sadri said.

Mayotte could not manage more than two points in any of Sadri’s service games in the set. Sadri broke ahead in the fifth game of the second set and broke serve again in the ninth game. Mayotte never got more than one point off Sadri’s serve in the second set.

“After eight straight sets, I finally broke him,” Sadri said. “I’m psyched. I feel I can win the tournament.”

Gullikson, No. 80 in the world, and Pate, No. 28, played as even a match as possible.

Neither lost his serve through the first two sets, and only twice in the first 35 games did either have a break point.

Gullikson had break points in the first and second sets, but Pate saved both. Pate had double break point in the ninth game of the third set but failed to return consecutive serves to his backhand.

On match point, Gullikson went wide for a Pate volley and hit a short defensive lob. Pate’s overhead was too softly angled, allowing Gullikson to return it down the line, and Pate’s volley was long.

“He must have thought I stopped or wouldn’t try for it. But it’s unbelievable on match point,” said Gullikson, who eliminated top-seeded Johan Kriek in the quarterfinals.