Tennis Roundup : Australia Clinches Win Over U.S. in Davis Cup

Pat Cash defeated Brad Gilbert, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, today (Monday) in the first reverse singles match at Brisbane, Australia, to give Australia a unbeatable 3-1 lead over the United States in the best-of-five Davis Cup semifinals.

Australia will now face Sweden in Melbourne Dec. 19-21 for the title. Sweden defeated Czechoslovakia, 4-1, Sunday.

Gilbert saved a break point in the seventh game and then reeled off 11 straight points to take the first set in 38 minutes, but that was it.

Cash broke Gilbert’s serve in the fourth and eighth games of the second set to even the match.

Cash, who was ranked in the Top 10 until losing time to a back injury and an appendectomy, was unstoppable in the final two sets. His powerful serve kept Gilbert on the baseline for most of the match.

The second reverse singles match between Tim Mayotte and Paul McNamee was rendered meaningless by Cash’s victory and was reduced to best-of-three sets.

Defending champion Sweden reached the Davis Cup final for the third successive year when it completed its victory over Czechoslovakia in Prague.

Mikael Pernfors, told only 30 minutes before the match that he would have to replace the injured Kent Carlsson, gave Sweden the deciding point when he beat Milan Srejber, 5-7, 6-0, 6-0, 7-5.

Carlsson, who easily defeated Miloslav Mecir on Friday, was withdrawn on the advice of the official physician. He had been complaining of pains in the lower part of the spine after a training session.

Stefan Edberg then won the final singles from Mecir, 6-4, 9-7.

Martina Navratilova defeated Pam Shriver, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, to win the Virginia Slims of New Orleans tournament.

For Navratilova, the victory in the $150,000 event was career win No. 999. For Shriver, it was the second time in as many years that she was the runner-up in the event at New Orleans, having lost in 1985 to Chris Evert Lloyd.