Tennis Roundup : Lendl Breezes Past McEnroe In Open Tuneup

Ivan Lendl, the world’s No. 1 player, completed his tuneup for the U.S. Open with a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over John McEnroe Sunday in the final of the $150,000 Hamlet Challenge Cup at Jericho, N.Y.

It was their first tournament meeting since Lendl dethroned McEnroe last year for the U.S. Open title.

“It was difficult to play in the wind,” said McEnroe, who has lost three straight tournaments since ending a seven-month sabbatical. “The wind affected my game more than his. I string my racket tighter and can’t hit through wind like that.”

Lendl disagreed that McEnroe was at a bigger disadvantage.

“I said to myself not to get upset and work on return of service,” said the 26-year-old Czech. “I practiced with my coach, Tony Roche, in the morning. Tony is a left-hander, like McEnroe.”

Lendl insisted the outcome is not indicative of what might happen at the U.S. Open, which starts this week.

“Today is not important,” Lendl said. “McEnroe can come out and start playing very well on Tuesday and it’s possible we can meet again in the Open quarterfinals.”

McEnroe starts play as the No. 9-seeded player against Paul Annacone. Lendl faces Glenn Layendecker.

On Sunday, McEnroe continually had trouble with his serve. He started with two double-faults, and Lendl won the last four games of the first set with the loss of only five points.

But McEnroe managed to stay on service through eight games of the second set before Lendl broke him at love in the ninth.

Lendl reached 40-0 in the 10th game. McEnroe saved two of three match points but then was wide on an overhead from the baseline, ending the match.

“I had a negative start, and it took me a while to get going,” McEnroe said. “I went out to try to do my best, but you can’t have a slow start and get away with it against the No. 1 player in the world.”

McEnroe said he did not anticipate being seeded as low as No. 9 at the U.S. Open.

“I’ve lost a year,” he said. “It bothers me to see myself go down the rankings. I’d like to get up into the top five by the end of the year.”

The victory was worth $35,000, bringing Lendl’s 1986 winnings to $707,675. He has won eight tournaments this year with a 53-4 record.

At Mason, Ohio, Mats Wilander beat Jimmy Connors, 6-4, 6-1, to win the $350,000 Assn. of Tennis Professionals Championship for the third time in the last four years.

Wilander, who had 12 aces, lost only seven points on his first serve. Wilander’s victory took just 78 minutes to accomplish. He has beaten Connors all four times they have played.

“Against Connors, it’s tough to serve because he gets most of them back,” said the Swede, who earned $48,000. “Today, I kept my speed and rhythm the whole match except for a couple of games.”

Wilander won the ATP in 1983 and 1984 and was runner-up to Boris Becker last year.

“He played well,” Connors said. “He ran down a lot of balls. I could have been more aggressive at times. But when I was aggressive I rushed too much.”

Wilander had only six unforced errors compared to 21 for Connors. The Swede broke Connors’ serve five times while Connors managed only one break.

Top-seeded Steffi Graf survived a tough first set at Mahwah, N.J., before winning the singles title in the $150,000 United Jersey Bank tournament with a 7-5, 6-1 victory over Molly Van Nostrand.

Graf, ranked No. 3 in the world, was broken twice in the first set and in the first game of the second set, but followed each with a service break of her own. After Van Nostrand broke her service in the first game of the second set, Graf won six straight games and the match.

Her fifth singles title of the year brought the 17-year-old West German $29,000 and increased her 1986 earnings to $333,650.

Van Nostrand earlier Sunday won her rain-interrupted semifinal match against Elna Reinach, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.