Tennis Roundup : Becker Outlasts Connors, Faces Lendl in Today’s Final

Eighteen-year-old Boris Becker defeated 33-year-old Jimmy Connors, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4, Saturday to reach the final round of the $315,000 Chicago Grand Prix tournament .

The third-seeded Becker will play top-seeded Ivan Lendl for the $50,000 first prize today. Lendl defeated Scott Davis, 6-1, 7-6, in the other semifinal.

The Becker-Connors match, which lasted 2 hours 44 minutes, was the first tournament meeting between the two players.

“We had such an exhausting match, I was just too tired to be nervous,” Becker said. “That was one of the most unbelievable matches I have played.”

With the crowd chanting, “Come on Jimmy, let’s go Jimmy,” the second-seeded Connors rallied from a first-set tiebreaker defeat to win a 6-4 second set.

In the final set, Connors was down, 5-3, with Becker serving, only to break the West German with an approach drop shot.

With Connors serving in the final game and the score at 30-30, Becker saved a shot with a diving backhand, hitting a lob deep to Connors’ backhand. Connors eventually lost the point with a wide forehand. He then netted a half-volley backhand to drop the set and the match.

“I really made a great lob,” Becker said. “I gave him the impression I am still not dead.”

Said Connors: “I enjoyed playing him. We both played well. I’m playing better, and if I get in a little bit better shape, that will be good for me.”

A pair of Swedes, Anders Jarryd and Joakim Nystrom, advanced to the final in a $315,000 tournament at Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Fourth-seeded Jarryd ousted Erik Jelen of West Germany, 6-4, 6-1, while third-seeded Nystrom stopped Guy Forget of France, 6-2, 6-2.

At Nashville, Tenn., Pam Shriver and Barbara Potter defeated Hana Mandlikova and Wendy Turnbull, 6-3, 7-6, to gain the final of the $175,000 Bridgestone Doubles Women’s World Championship, where they will face Kathy Jordan and Elizabeth Smylie. Jordan and Smylie defeated Svetlana Parkhomenko and Larissa Savcheko of the Soviet Union, 6-3, 6-4.