Vilas Defeats Clerc in 125-Degree Heat at Washington

Argentina’s Guillermo Vilas defeated countryman Jose-Luis Clerc, 7-6, 6-3, under a broiling sun Friday to move into the quarterfinals of the $200,000 D.C. National Bank tennis tournament at Washington.

The match, which lasted just over one hour, was played with temperatures at courtside reaching 125 degrees.

“It was difficult,” said Vilas, who at 32 gave away six years to his opponent. “Today was really, really hot. It was a question of surviving and mixing the strength of your shots.”

Vilas’ victory increased his career advantage over Clerc to 10-4.

It was the first time the Argentines had faced each other in competition in three years.

Each player lost his serve twice in the opening set. In the tiebreaker, Vilas took leads of 4-1 and 6-2. However, Clerc then ran off four straight points.

“He was playing risky, and it was paying off,” Vilas said.

Clerc, though, followed by sailing two cross-court shots wide to give Vilas the set.

“I go from 6-2 down to 6-all and then put two shots in the crowd,” said a disgusted Clerc, who was seeded No. 6.

Clerc moved ahead 3-0 in the second set, but the unseeded Vilas broke him three times on the way to winning six straight games and the match.

Three other seeded players fell. Marcelo Ingaramo of Argentina beat No. 4 Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2; Martin Jaite of Argentina defeated No. 8 Libor Pimek of Czechoslovakia, 6-3, 6-1, and Pablo Arraya of Peru turned back No. 15 Mark Dickson, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.

In a return to form, No. 3-seeded Yannick Noah of France defeated John Ross, 6-2, 7-5. In a battle of 17-year-olds, No. 5-seeded Aaron Krickstein beat Austria’s Thomas Muster, 6-1, 7-5.

At Newport, R.I., top-seeded Chris Evert Lloyd routed sixth-seeded Gigi Fernandez, 6-1, 6-2, to advance to the semifinals of the only grass-court tournament on the women’s American tour.

Lloyd will play Eva Pfaff of West Germany, with the winner moving into Sunday’s final. Pfaff ousted Belinda Cordwell of New Zealand, 6-4, 6-3. Cordwell had upset fourth-seeded Kathy Jordan in the second round.

Second-seeded Pam Shriver will meet third-seeded Wendy Turnbull of Australia in the other semifinal match. Shriver defeated Lea Antonoplis, 6-0, 6-2, and Turnbull rallied to beat fellow Australian Elizabeth Smylie, 6-7, 7-5, 6-2.