During Untraditional Ceremony, Seedings for Tournament in Vermont Are Announced

Ivan Lendl and Wimbledon champion Boris Becker were seeded 1-2 Friday for the $315,000 Volvo International tennis tournament, which opens Monday, while Jimmy Connors edged newlywed and defending champion John McEnroe for the No. 3 seed in an offbeat draw ceremony.

The Volvo, to be played at the Stratton Mountain resort, has a history of untraditional draw ceremonies, picking the tournament’s field each year from such sites as a hot air balloon, the top of New Hampshire’s Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeast, and from six miles out in the Atlantic Ocean.

Friday, while veteran tennis official Frank Hammond was dressed in a clown outfit and seated above a tub of water, Ramesh Krishnan of India and American Junior Davis Cup player Steve DeVries threw balls at a carnival dunking device.

The two players had sealed envelopes taped to their backs and when Krishnan hit the bullseye, dunking Hammond, his envelope was opened to reveal the name of Connors, who was given the No. 3 seed.

Connors is ranked fifth in the Association of Tennis Professionals, while McEnroe is No. 7 in the ATP rating.