Tennis Roundup : Mecir Defeats Another Swede, Reaches West German Final

Defending champion Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia continued his domination of Swedish players by routing Ken Carlsson, 6-3, 6-2, Saturday at Hamburg, West Germany, to gain a berth in the final of the $250,000 West German Open tennis tournament.

Mecir has won 20 of his last 23 matches against the talented Swedish contingent on the pro tennis circuit.

The third-seeded Mecir, a surprise finalist in the U.S. Open, moved into today’s final with France’s Henri Leconte, a 6-4, 6-2 victor over Emilio Sanchez of Spain in the other semifinal.

“I think I have a chance against Mecir,” the fourth-seeded Leconte said. “I also think I could last through five sets, which is what could very well befall me in the final.”

Leconte defeated Mecir in their last meeting earlier this year at Rome.

It took Leconte only 75 minutes to dispose of Sanchez on the clay court of the Rothenbaum Club despite complaining of continued fatigue from the after-effects of a virus that sidelined him in May.

Mecir, nicknamed the Big Cat, had little trouble with Carlsson, chasing the Swede from one corner of the court to the other. Mecir needed just 74 minutes to beat his 18-year-old opponent before 11,200 spectators.

Unseeded Lori McNeil continued her string of upsets by defeating sixth-seeded Terry Phelps, 6-2, 6-3, to reach the final of the $125,000 Eckerd Open at Largo, Fla.

McNeil, who earlier upset third-seeded Stephanie Rehe and No. 8 Mary Jo Fernandez, will meet her friend, Zina Garrison, in the final. Garrison beat unseeded Michelle Torres, 6-4, 6-2. It will be the first meeting between Garrison and McNeil since they were growing up in Houston.

McNeil won the first four games of the match and coasted through the first set in 34 minutes.

Phelps jumped to a 2-0 lead in the second set, but McNeil strung together another four-game winning streak to take command.