Tennis Roundup : While on Suspension, McEnroe Gets $150,000

John McEnroe defeated Paul Annacone, 6-4, 7-5, Sunday to win the AT&T; Challenge at Atlanta.

“It’s a great way to spend a suspension,” said McEnroe, who received a check for $150,000.

McEnroe, playing for the first time since the U.S. Open last month, is serving a two-month suspension from Grand Prix events. However, he is allowed to compete in exhibitions.

“It makes me feel good that my game clicked here,” McEnroe said. “It was a close match, but I felt like I was in charge. I think the right man won.”

Annacone, who beat Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl to reach the final, had the single biggest payday of his career, winning $100,000.

“Naturally, I’m pleased with the week,” he said. “Beating No. 1 (Lendl) and 2 (Edberg) in the world is a great week for me. But I would have liked to have won today as well.”

Tournament semifinalists Lendl and Jimmy Connors each won $50,000. The other participants in the round-robin tournament--Edberg, Miloslav Mecir, Ulf Stenlund and Mikael Pernfors--won $25,000 each.

Third-seeded Brad Gilbert won six straight games in the first set and coasted to a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Eliot Teltscher in the final of a $303,400 WCT tournament at Scottsdale, Ariz.

Gilbert, who won $46,400, fell behind 0-2 in the opening set before extending his streak to nine consecutive games by going ahead, 3-0, in the second set.

For the second straight day, Gilbert played the crowd favorite. On Saturday, he beat 15-year-old Michael Chang, 6-4, 6-3.

As runner-up, Teltscher picked up $23,200.

A 10-year veteran of the tennis tour, Teltscher said he will take off a couple of months before deciding his future.

“Mentally, I’m a little tired and physically, I have some problems so I do need a little break,” he said. “I haven’t decided anything about the future yet. I wanted to finish up the year well and, actually, this was my best tournament of the year. But usually by the finals, you’re playing your best tennis and it’s frustrating to play like I did today. I never found the feel for the match.”

At Basel, Switzerland, top-seeded Yannick Noah defeated Ronald Agenor of Haiti, 7-6, 6-4, 6-4, in 2 hours 15 minutes to win the $239,000 Swiss Grand Prix.

“I’m happy that I won this tournament,” Noah said. “It was a tough week for me after a three-month layoff. At the beginning of the tournament, I almost beat myself, but as it progressed, I improved, and at the end I was happy with my play.”

Noah’s best play came toward the end of the first-set tiebreaker when Agenor twice appeared to pass him, but Noah lunged to the left and backhanded the ball over the net, got back on his feet and stretched to the right to send a winning return down the line.

With the victory Noah picked up $40,000. Agenor received $20,000.

At Brisbane, Australia, Kelly Evernden of New Zealand spoiled Eric Jelen’s first appearance in the final of a Grand Prix tournament, defeating the West Germany, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, to win the Queensland Open.

Jelen, who had not dropped a set on his way to the final, looked poised in winning the opening set. But Evernden played two excellent sets in rallying to his second Grand Prix victory this year.

“They were probably two of the best sets of tennis in my life,” he said.

Evernden won $30,000, the biggest paycheck of his career. Jelen picked up $15,000.