Tennis Roundup : Mayotte Reaches Final, Accuses Srejber of Not Trying

Tim Mayotte advanced to the final of the $465,000 U.S. Pro Indoor Tennis Championship at Philadelphia with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Milan Srejber Saturday, and then said his opponent appeared not to be trying.

In today’s title match, Mayotte will play John McEnroe who rallied to beat Israel’s Amos Mansdorf, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.

Mayotte almost toyed with the 6-foot 8-inch Czech, who had reached the semifinals with an upset victory over Jimmy Connors.

“He didn’t appear to be trying 100%,” Mayotte said. “We’ve seen that before from him.”

Srejber, however, insisted: “I couldn’t see the ball. I didn’t serve well. It just happened. I was trying my best.”

The crowd booed Srejber after the match, an almost unprecedented action for tennis fans in Philadelphia.

“I don’t care that they booed me,” Srejber said.

Mayotte said that at first he thought Srejber’s sub-par play was a tactic to throw him off his game.

“After I broke him in the first game, it seemed like he thought that was the set and threw it away,” Mayotte said. “In the second set, he came out playing a little better. But as soon as I got the break for 3-2, he threw in the towel.”

Mayotte said Srejber is known to be an erratic player.

“But a few more (matches) like that and he could be branded as a player who throws matches,” Mayotte said.

McEnroe passed this tournament last year to start a 6 1/2-month layoff from tennis. He’s trying for an unprecedented fifth title in the Philadelphia event. He and Jimmy Connors, eliminated in the semifinals, each have won four times.

At Lyon, France, Yannick Noah of France beat Kelly Jones of San Diego, 1-6, 6-1, 6-1, and Joakim Nystrom of Sweden defeated Todd Nelson, also of San Diego, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, to move into the final of a $174,000 Grand Prix tournament.