Tennis Roundup : Svensson Fights Back, but Noah Wins Final

Yannick Noah, for the first time, won a Grand Prix tournament in England Sunday, but it took him 3 hours 54 minutes.

The Frenchman appeared headed for an easy afternoon against 20-year-old Jonas Svensson in the $375,000 Benson and Hedges final at Wembley, tearing through the opening two sets and holding five match points in the next. But the Swede rallied, and it was another 95 minutes before Noah won, 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 7-5.

“It was one of my toughest matches ever,” said the third-seeded Noah, who won $60,000 and clinched a place in next month’s Grand Prix Masters in New York. The victory also moved him up one place, to fifth, in the world rankings. Svensson received $30,000, his biggest paycheck ever.

“I thought I could not do anything after the first two sets,” Svensson said. But he then switched tactics, coming to the net and employing a lob.

At 4-4 in the third set, Noah had a crucial break point that virtually could have wrapped up a straight-set victory. But Svensson saved it with a cross-court forehand volley, won the game and suddenly the match came alive.

Noah held service at 5-5, saving a set point, and two games later the crowd was treated to an exciting tiebreaker.

Noah saved three more set points but, more importantly, Svensson staved off five match points and won the tiebreaker, 14-12.

The 19-minute effort took its toll on Noah, still not 100% because of injuries that have sidelined him off and on for 13 weeks.

In the fifth game of the fourth set, the tired Noah lost his service and Svensson tied the match.

For the first time, Svensson had the match in his grasp and had five chances to break Noah in the ninth game of the final set.

But Noah saved them all, and when he carved out two more match points in the 12th game, he finally got the job done.

“Considering that I am not in my best physical shape, it was terribly demanding,” Noah said. “I had to hang in there mentally and not give up.”

Svensson, who moved up to No. 22 in the world rankings, said he could not have played better.

“I should have been more aggressive in the first two sets, but I did as well as I could,” he said.

Martina Navratilova, tuning up for the Virginia Slims Championships next week in New York, defeated Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia, 7-5, 7-5, to win a $150,000 women’s tournament at Chicago.

It was the 49th consecutive match victory for Navratilova, who won $33,000 to Mandlikova’s $14,600, and it was Navratilova’s seventh consecutive win this year against the world’s No. 4 player.

“I had chances. I had a couple of breaks, but I didn’t use them,” Mandlikova said. “Against Martina, you don’t get too many chances, so when you do get them you must use them.”