Tennis Roundup : Australia Trailing India, 2-0

Vijay Amritraj rallied to win a marathon encounter with Wally Masur Friday to lift India to a 2-0 lead over defending champion Australia in their Davis Cup semifinal at Sydney, Australia.

Amritraj, a 33-year-old part-time actor who first played in the Davis Cup 18 years ago, defeated Masur, 1-6, 6-3, 12-10, 6-4, in a match that lasted 3 hours 25 minutes.

Earlier, Ramesh Krishnan beat John Fitzgerald, 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 8-6, in 2 hours 45 minutes. Fitzgerald was called upon when Wimbledon champion Pat Cash withdrew on the eve of the matches, citing a jarred knee.

A win today in doubles or a singles victory Sunday would oust the Aussies.

Meanwhile, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg gave Sweden a 2-0 lead over Spain in the other semifinal at Barcelona, Spain.

Wilander beat Emilio Sanchez, 8-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, in 3 1/2 hours, and Edberg defeated Javier Sanchez, Emilio’s younger brother, 6-4, 6-2, 6-4.

That gave Sweden a chance to wrap up the victory today when Wilander and Anders Jarryd are scheduled to play doubles against Emilio Sanchez and Sergio Casal.

The winner of the match between Sweden and Spain will play the winner between India and Australia in the final in December.

Ivan Lendl, the only seeded player left in the $239,000 Transamerica Open, came from behind to defeat Dan Goldie, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3, to reach the semifinals at San Francisco.

“It crossed my mind that I could lose,” Lendl said. “But I didn’t really believe I would.”

Also advancing were Peter Lundgren of Sweden, Jim Pugh of Palos Verdes Estates and Todd Nelson of San Diego. Lundgren eliminated Tim Wilkison, 6-3, 6-4; Pugh beat Sammy Giammalva, 6-3, 7-5, and Nelson defeated Eliot Teltscher, 6-1, 7-6.

Nelson, the world’s 165th-ranked player, was the tournament’s last qualifier. He meets Pugh in the semifinals, while Lundgren takes on Lendl.

At New Orleans, No. 1-seeded Chris Evert advanced to the semifinals of a $150,000 Virginia Slims tournament along with No. 2 Zina Garrison, No. 3 Lori McNeil and No. 6 Wendy Turnbull.

Evert breezed past Anne Smith, 6-2, 6-0, and will meet Turnbull, who eliminated Robin White, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4.

“It was easier than I expected,” Evert said after her match. “I expected Anne to come into the net more. I think you have to come to the net more to beat me.”

Garrison rallied for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory over Marianne Werdel, and McNeil defeated No. 5 Kate Gompert, 6-4, 6-4, to set up a meeting between the doubles partners from Houston.