Tennis Roundup : Gilbert Wins to Even Score With Mexico

Brad Gilbert beat Leonardo Lavalle, 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, Friday night to pull the United States into a 1-1 tie with Mexico in a Davis Cup quarterfinal series at Mexico City.

In an earlier match, Mexico’s Francisco Maciel upset Tim Mayotte, 2-6, 13-11, 6-4, 6-4.

Although he lost in the third set, the more experienced Gilbert had little trouble with Lavalle in the second match.

In the first match, Mayotte dominated the first set with a powerful serve and appeared headed for victory until his serve failed him. He committed eight double-faults.

Maciel took advantage of the double-faults to break through in the marathon second set, which lasted 24 games.

The two appeared to tire in the third set, which Mayotte led, 2-0, but Maciel got a lift from the crowd of 8,000 at the 19,000-seat Sports Palace and breezed to victory.

In other Davis Cup matches, defending champion Sweden got victories from Mats Wilander and Joakim Nystrom to take a 2-0 lead over Italy; Australia won both its singles matches over Britain, and Czechoslovakia took two straight from Yugoslavia.

At Bastad, Sweden, Wilander defeated Paolo Cane, 6-8, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, in 3 hours 40 minutes to improve his Davis Cup record to 23 victories in 29 matches, while Nystrom disposed of Claudio Panatta, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1, in 90 minutes.

Meanwhile, Australia’s Pat Cash and Paul McNamee posted straight-set victories at Wimbledon, England. Cash wore down Jeremy Bates, 6-4, 9-7, 6-4, in 2 hours 10 minutes, and McNamee took just 1 hour 30 minutes to dispose of Andrew Castle, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

With one more victory, Australia would clinch a home meeting against the Mexico-United States winner.

At Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, Miloslav Mecir defeated Slobodan Zivojinovic, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8, 6-4, and Milan Srejber eliminated Bruno Oresar, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3.

Top-seeded Pam Shriver ousted Brazil’s Claudia Monteiro, 6-2, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of a $150,000 Virginia Slims tournament at Newport, R.I.