Tennis Roundup : McEnroe, Wilander Regain Old Form--Meet in Final

John McEnroe and Mats Wilander are trying to regain the heights they once knew.

McEnroe defeated Anders Jarryd, 6-3, 6-3, while Wilander beat Jonas Svensson, 6-3, 6-2, Saturday to reach today’s final of the $315,000 Belgian Indoor tennis tournament.

“We both want to prove something to ourselves,” said Wilander, who like McEnroe took an extended break from tennis.

Svensson, who has the stomach flu, started quickly against Wilander but started to run out of gas midway through the first set.

McEnroe, the only non-Swede in the semifinals, coasted all the way against Jarryd, who seemed exhausted after upsetting Boris Becker Friday night.

“I sensed Jarryd was not on top of his game from the beginning,” said McEnroe, who has an ailing hip. “I won’t say I was either.”

Barbara Potter overcame four match points and upset fourth-seeded Zina Garrison, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, to advance to the final of the $150,000 Virginia Slims of Washington tournament at Fairfax, Va.

Potter, the only unseeded player in the semifinals, will face top-seeded Hana Mandlikova, who downed fellow Czech Helena Sukova, 6-3, 6-2, in 1 hour 18 minutes.

“She just kept putting the pressure on me,” Garrison said. “I had those match points but just choked on all of them. I wanted it too badly.”

Potter was on the brink of elimination in the final set when Garrison was serving for the match at 5-4, 40-30. Potter battled back, then fought off three more match points in the 12th game to tie the set, 6-6.

Potter trailed, 4-2, in the tiebreaker, but won the final five points and the match, which lasted 2 hours 13 minutes.

“The way I feel right now is extremely satisfied with my hustle,” Potter said. “I think I moved as well as I ever have moved in a match.”

Top-seeded Pat Cash and fourth-seeded Wally Masur posted straight-set victories to set up an all-Australian final in a $90,000 Grand Prix tournament at Nancy, France.

Cash, playing in his first match since January, defeated third-seeded Ramesh Krishnan of India, 7-5, 6-3, while Masur beat Brad Drewett, also of Australia, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5).

Cash and Masur know each other well.

“We’ve played each other so many times from the juniors on up,” Cash said. “We’re good friends and we’re going to have a friendly match.”