Tennis Roundup : Garrison Upsets Shriver and Wins Tournament

Zina Garrison of Houston pounded out a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Pam Shriver today to win the $150,000 New South Wales Open women’s tennis championship at Sydney, Australia.

The sixth-seeded Garrison collected $26,000 in winning her first major tournament in more than a year, while Shriver earned $13,000.

Shriver, seeded second, was hampered by an injured hamstring in her right leg.

It was Shriver’s second successive loss in a final. She was beaten by Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia in last week’s Brisbane title match.

The lanky Lutherville, Md., right-hander also suffered her second loss in the final of a New South Wales event. She was beaten by Wendy Turnbull of Australia in the final in 1980 after holding six match points.

“Zina played three of the finest matches this week I’ve seen her play,” Shriver said. “I was outplayed, and she deserved to win.”

Garrison took just 68 minutes to wrap up the Virginia Slims Series grass-court final, the last lead-up event to the Australian Open, which begins Monday at Kooyong in Melbourne.

“I used the shots I had and worked with my strengths,” Garrison said.

“This is the best win of my career on grass, a surface on which you have to be really athletic.”

Shriver still has a 3-2 career edge over Garrison.

Garrison broke Shriver’s serve in the second and eighth games of the first set, the initial break coming when Shriver double-faulted.

Shriver’s shots seemed poorly measured, while Garrison kept her at full stretch, moving her around the court. And when Shriver did come to the net, Garrison frequently passed her.

Shriver rallied briefly in the second set to lead 4-2. But Garrison reeled off four straight games to close out the match.

“I missed silly volleys at 4-3,” Shriver said. “My leg wasn’t really a factor, but I can’t work out where my zip went.

“She was aggressive and solid off the ground, but I had a breakthrough and let her back into it.”

At Adelaide, Australia, West Germany’s Boris Becker outlasted France’s Henri Leconte, 6-4, 6-4, to win the Rio International Tennis Challenge.

With temperatures in the low 90s, Becker used his booming serve to win the first set, but had a tougher time in the second set because of the heat before beating Leconte for the fourth time in four career meetings.