Tennis Roundup : Edberg Wins Stockholm Open Title

Top-seeded Stefan Edberg trounced Mats Wilander, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1, Sunday to win the $435,000 Stockholm Open-Scandinavian Championships at Stockholm, Sweden.

It was the eighth career singles Grand Prix victory for the 20-year-old Edberg, who re-established his position as the top Swedish player.

Wilander never got into the match. He was broken in the first game and, during one spell starting in the second set, he lost 16 points in a row.

“I even played better than I did yesterday (Saturday) against (Henri) Leconte (in the semifinals),” Edberg said. “I didn’t think I would be able to do that.”

Edberg played his usual brand of aggressive tennis, serving powerfully and coming to the net whenever possible. But he also dominated from the back line--usually Wilander’s turf--winning several rallies.

Edberg needed only 80 minutes to send his compatriot to the worst defeat of his career.

Wilander, coming off a seven-week sabbatical from tennis, took the outcome with humor. He left the stadium dressed in a strait-jacket and carried on a stretcher, headed for his bachelor party. He will marry Sonya Mulholland Jan. 3.

“See you, Stefan, if I survive this,” Wilander shouted.

John McEnroe defeated Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2, to win the $940,000 European Community Championship at Antwerp, Belgium.

The match, which lasted nearly four hours, was probably the most demanding for McEnroe since he ended a seven-month sabbatical from tennis this summer.

“I need to beat players like Mecir, a top 10 player, to come back,” McEnroe said.

In the final set, Mecir broke in the second game before McEnroe regrouped. McEnroe battled at the net and at the baseline and broke Mecir three straight times. McEnroe threw a kiss to the sky in the sixth game before winning the set.

McEnroe is ineligible for next month’s Masters in New York. He failed to earn enough Grand Prix points and is threatened with a 42-day suspension and a fine of $8,850 for court violations during his comeback. He exceeded the limit at last week’s Paris Open.

McEnroe added he may pass up the Australian Open in mid-January to spend time with his family.

At Worster, Mass., top-seeded Martina Navratilova outlasted fourth-seeded Pam Shriver, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4, to advance to the final of a $250,000 Virginia Slims tournament.

The victory, Navratilova’s 44th in a row, set the stage for today’s confrontation with second-seed Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia, who earlier defeated Bettina Bunge, 6-1, 7-5.

Navratilova survived her own ragged play in the first two sets before breaking Shriver’s serve three times in the third set.

The victory was Navratilova’s 19th straight over Shriver.

“Tonight was as golden an opportunity as I’ve had in the last four years,” Shriver said. “She seldom plays mediocre-to-bad against me. It hurts not to take advantage of a great situation.”