Tennis Roundup : Wilander Beats Carlsson to Win U.S. Pro Title

Mats Wilander sized up Kent Carlsson in the first set Sunday. In the second, he cut down his fellow Swede.

After playing a patient game from the base line in the opening set, the top-seeded Wilander attacked in the second, defeating the third-seeded Carlsson, 7-6, 6-1, to win the U.S. Pro tennis championships for the second time in three years.

Unaccustomed to the severe spin Carlsson puts on the ball, Wilander at first watched and waited in their match at the Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, Mass.

“First you have to try to get the rhythm against him,” said Wilander, the world’s second-ranked player. “Nobody plays the same way he does, and it’s really hard to play against a guy that you don’t practice against.

“He’s got so much spin, and when you take the ball on the rise and try to come to the net you have to take it early because if you don’t, then it’s going to fly straight up.”

The 19-year-old Carlsson broke Wilander’s serve to take a 4-2 lead in the first set. But Wilander broke right back. Then, after losing the tiebreaker, 7-5, Carlsson managed just 13 points in the second set as Wilander began rushing the net.

“I never felt like I could win the first set. I really didn’t,” Wilander said. “I felt like he was controlling the match.”

Wilander, who won 11 of the last 14 games, took the top prize of $39,440, while Carlsson collected $19,720.

It was the fourth singles title of the year for the 22-year-old Wilander, whose biggest 1987 victory has been in the Italian Open. Sunday’s win also was his 17th victory on clay of his 25 career championships, including the 1985 U.S. Pro.

Carlsson, ranked 11th in the world, failed in his bid for his fifth career singles title.

“In the first set, I think I played my best set in the tournament,” Carlsson said. “I was trying to play the same game (in the second set), but Mats was hitting the ball earlier and he was coming in a little bit more.”

Dan Goldie, the 1986 NCAA singles champion, won his first professional title when he defeated Sammy Giammalva, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, in the Tennis Hall of Fame Championships at Newport, R.I.

Goldie, ranked No. 113 in the world, earned $20,000. Giammalva, ranked No. 96, received $10,000.

Goldie, 23, has played the Nabisco Grand Prix circuit for a year. He won the NCAA title while playing for Stanford and then turned professional.

“This is a lot different than college,” Goldie said. “It’s a pro title. It’s on grass. I’ve never won a tournament on grass before. It’s at a real historic place. A lot of great players have played here, and it’s a real honor to be on the list of champions. It feels really good.”

Giammalva struggled with his serve most of the day. He made only 52% of his first serves and double-faulted 12 times.

At Gstaad, Switzerland, third-seeded Emilio Sanchez of Spain defeated Ronald Agenor of Haiti, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6, to win the $231,000 Swiss Open.

The 22-year-old Spaniard won the $40,000 first prize and his first Grand Prix singles title of 1987.

Agenor, playing in his first Grand Prix final, was unable to counter the strong serve-and-volley game of the Spanish Davis Cup player.

“It was difficult playing here on clay after Wimbledon, but I adjusted as the tournament went on,” Sanchez said. “I played well at Wimbledon, played well here, so I’m confident going into the Davis Cup match against Paraguay, although I still must be more consistent mentally.”

Sanchez easily won the first set, but Agenor improved as the match went on. The Haitian lost the third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, when Sanchez finally cashed in on his fifth match point.