Edberg Surprises Lendl and Gains Australian Final

Swedish teen-ager Stefan Edberg scored a stunning 6-7, 7-5, 6-1, 4-6, 9-7 rain-interrupted victory over top-seeded Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia today in the $1.5-million Australian Open tennis championships.

The 19-year-old Edberg meets defending champion Mats Wilander in Monday’s all-Swedish title match. Wilander will be trying to win the tournament for the third time.

By winning his match, Edberg will be making his first appearance in a Grand Prix final.

Edberg led, two sets to one, when the rain again began to fall. After the score reached 4-4 in the fourth set, the players were off the court for 1 hour 43 minutes because of the rain. When they returned, Lendl promptly broke Edberg’s serve and deadlocked the match at two sets all.

Lendl got an early service break in the fifth set, but the Swede broke back immediately and had three match points in the ninth game--all of which he squandered.

Edberg came back again, however, finally outlasting the world’s top-ranked player.

Lendl, who had treatment for a knee injury after the third set, did not appear inhibited in his movement, but he later said: “I consider myself fortunate to have escaped serious injury.”