Tennis Roundup : McEnroe Helps U.S. Gain Berth in World Cup Final

John McEnroe defeated France’s Henri Leconte Saturday at Dusseldorf, West Germany, enabling the United States to earn a berth in the final of the World Team Cup tournament.

McEnroe’s 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory gave the United States a 1-0 lead over France, and it was enough to place the Americans into the final as the Blue Group winners.

Later, Brad Gilbert, the U.S. No. 2 player, lost to Thierry Tulasne, 6-1, 6-0, but came back to join Robert Seguso for a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 doubles win over Leconte and Guy Forget.

McEnroe struggled to find any kind of rhythm for a set and a half, and at one stage complained that the court was too slippery.

He also had trouble choosing the right racket. He smashed one of them in frustration in the final set and incurred a $500 fine.

McEnroe’s indifferent play allowed Leconte to take control, but the erratic Frenchman could not capitalize on his chances.

Leconte led 4-1 in the second set and then held two break points on McEnroe’s serve at 4-3, but failed to convert them and never was a threat again.

“Once I got back to 4-4 in the second set, I knew I could win,” McEnroe said. “I figured he would start to get impatient, and I was able to control the points.”

The United States will face Czechoslovakia, the Red Group winner, for the $300,000 first prize today.

At Geneva, top-seeded Chris Evert posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Lori McNeil to advance to the final of a $100,000 women’s tournament.

Evert, the world’s No. 3 ranked player at age 32, is seeking her 152nd official title today. Her opponent will be third-seeded Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria, who defeated defending champion Raffaela Reggi of Italy, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2.

Looking ahead to today’s match, Evert said: “The match will be a good test for me. I’ve played Manuela 14 times and won 12, but she’s very patient and tough on clay.”

It will be Evert’s last test before she defends her French Open title next week.

McNeil, ranked 11th in the world, lasted only 51 minutes. She made numerous unforced errors and lost the first eight games.

“Chris was hitting deep and I wasn’t able to dictate the rhythm of the match,” said the 23-year-old McNeil.

At Marbella, Spain, Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina defeated Martina Navratilova, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6, in 2 1/2 hours to win the first Marbella tournament for women.

Two weeks ago, Sabatini ousted Navratilova, 7-6, 6-1, in the semifinals of the Italian Open at Rome.

Unseeded Alessandro De Minicis of Italy upset fifth-seeded Eduardo Bengoechea of Argentina, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, and second-seeded Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union beat fourth-seeded Guillermo Perez-Roldan of Argentina, 3-6, 7-5, 7-6, in the semifinals of a $105,000 tournament at Florence, Italy.