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McEnroe Ousted by Zivojinovic in Australian Open

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Associated Press

Slobodan Zivojinovic of Yugoslavia harnessed his power and aggression today to dump second-seeded John McEnroe, 2-6, 6-3, 1-6, 6-4, 6-0, in the quarterfinals of the $1.5-million Australian Open tennis championships.

The 22-year-old West German-based player defeated McEnroe in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament’s history. Zivojinovic is ranked 66th in the world and is unseeded.

McEnroe, 26, had been bidding to win the Australian Open for the first time. He failed to win a Grand Slam title this year and the loss ended his hopes of overhauling Ivan Lendl for the world’s No. 1 ranking at the end of the year.

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McEnroe’s serve and delicate touch held no mysteries for Zivojinovic, who blasted his way to victory.

The giant Yugoslav served well in the final two sets and treated McEnroe’s own serve with disdain, defusing it regularly with some strong returns.

Zivojinovic defeated reigning Australian Open champion Mats Wilander in the first round at Wimbledon earlier this year and his victory over McEnroe underlined his affinity for grass courts.

McEnroe earned the ire of the capacity 10,000 center-court crowd by storming angrily from the court after his defeat. He did not wait to leave the court with the winner, as is customary.

In the fifth game of the final set he shouted to Zivojinovic: “You are going to pay for this. I mean it.”

McEnroe, who has had a troubled tournament and been fined twice, was jeered by the fans at the end.

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The American, who pouted his way through the match, appeared to have trouble with his timing in the final two sets but did not seem troubled by a bandage on his left thigh.

Zivojinovic, who is Wimbledon champion Boris Becker’s doubles partner, had never reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament.

Last year he earned just $17,601 from tennis. He will earn $24,903 just for making the semifinals here.

Zivojinovic, who owns a home at Boca Raton, Fla., said practicing with Becker had helped him prepare for beating McEnroe.

“I have to say thank you to Boris. When you play with someone who is fast, you start to play better and better,” he said.

The young Yugoslav won the hearts of the crowd in the fourth set, when McEnroe was involved in a dispute with the umpire and called for tournament referee Peter Bellenger.

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Bobo, as Zivojinovic is known, simply joined some spectators in a courtside box and had a sandwich.

“You know how McEnroe is. Every match he tries to do the same things,” he said. “I just sat down.”

Zivojinovic refused to confirm what McEnroe had shouted at him.

“He disappointed me, but he is a good guy and a good player,” he said.

Earlier in the day, top-seeded Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-2 win over Christo Steyn, an unseeded South African.

Lendl, the U.S. Open champion bidding to win the Australian Open for the first time, was given a code of conduct violation for ball abuse in the third set and bounced his racket angrily on several occasions.

Steyn, ranked 170th in the world, played extremely well and often kept Lendl off balance. He needed 2 hours, 23 minutes to wrap up the match, which set up a meeting with Englishman John Lloyd in the quarterfinals.

The 26-year-old Lendl began the match in impressive style--hammering four aces in his first service game, taking the first set, 6-3, and the next, 6-2.

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Steyn, a 24-year-old graduate of the University of Miami, rallied in the third set.

The South African led, 5-2, had a set point at 5-3 and, after Lendl had fought back, took the tiebreaker, 7-3.

The fourth set was all Lendl’s, however.

The Lendl victory completed the quarterfinal lineup. Besides Lendl-Lloyd, Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands will play Stefan Edberg of Sweden and Wilander of Sweden meets Johan Kriek.

Wilander was scheduled to play later today with the other two quarterfinals scheduled Thursday.

Lloyd, whose career was in tatters when he slumped to 387th in the world three years ago, is undergoing a renaissance.

He teamed up with Australian coach Bob Brett and fitness conditioner Stan Nicholes three years ago, reached the quarterfinals of the U.S Open last year and is now playing with confidence.

He defeated seventh-seeded Swede Joakim Nystrom in the round of 16 and is looking forward to challenging Lendl.

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“I went to Stan three years ago and rebuilt my arm,” the 31-year-old British Davis Cup player said. “I was amazed to find that 13 and 14 year-old girls were physically stronger than I was.

“Three years ago I couldn’t have served like I did in the fifth set against Nystrom. I just wouldn’t have had the power.”

Lloyd, who was beaten by Vitas Gerulaitis of the United States in the 1977 Australian Open final, said he has always felt comfortable in Melbourne.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why, but courts here seem to suit my game,” he said.

The tournament has been an exciting one for the Lloyd family.

John’s wife, defending champion Chris Evert Lloyd, is already in the women’s singles semifinals.

She faces West German Claudia Kohde-Kilsch in one semifinal Thursday, while Martina Navratilova meets Hana Mandlikova in the other.

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