Tennis Roundup : Connors Lets His Racket Do the Talking

Jimmy Connors, who ripped the tennis Establishment Tuesday, blasted France’s Guy Forget Thursday, 6-1, 6-3.

Connors, playing in his first tournament since serving a 10-week suspension, advanced to the quarterfinals of the $237,400 Queen’s Club grass court tournament in London.

But after his victory, the top-seeded Connors wanted only to talk tennis, saying he “wasn’t thrilled” after being quoted Wednesday as saying he might pull the next umpire who crossed him out of the chair during a match.

Meanwhile, second-seeded Boris Becker of West Germany and third-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden also won third-round matches.

Becker, the defending champion, beat Australia’s Simon Youl, 6-3, 6-1, while Edberg stopped Australia’s Paul McNamee, 7-5, 6-3.

Other Americans advancing were Paul Annacone, Tim Wilkison, Tim Mayotte and Robert Seguso. Annacone defeated Andrew Castle, the first Briton since 1982 to reach the third round at Queen’s Club, 6-4, 6-1; Wilkison defeated Todd Nelson, 6-7, 7-6, 13-11; Mayotte beat David Pate, 7-6, 6-1, and Seguso ousted Danie Visser, 6-4, 6-2.

Another American, Marcel Freeman, lost to India’s Ramesh Krishnan, 6-1, 6-2.

In today’s quarterfinals, Connors meets Annacone, Becker plays Mayotte, Edberg faces Wilkison and Seguso plays Krishnan.

Larisa Savchenko of the Soviet Union upset third-seeded Wendy Turnbull of Australia, 7-5, 6-2, in a $125,000 tournament at Edgbaston, England.

Meanwhile, in another third-round match, defending champion Pam Shriver beat Betsy Nagelsen, 7-6, 6-3.

At Bologna, Italy, top-seeded Martin Jaite defeated fellow Argentine Eduardo Bengoechea, 6-3, 6-4, in the rain-delayed third round of an $85,000 tournament.