Wilander Walks Off With Title : Swede Outlasts Cash in Match That Lasts 4 Hours 28 Minutes

Hometown hero Pat Cash was hoping to turn the Australian Open tennis championships into a national celebration. But Mats Wilander spoiled the party.

The 23-year-old Swede downed Cash, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 6-1, 8-6, in 4 hours 28 minutes Sunday to win his third Australian Open title. Wilander, who was seeded third, said he has worked hard to improve his game since losing the French and U.S. Open finals to Ivan Lendl last year.

“I couldn’t have won this match six or seven months ago,” he said. “I feel a lot stronger, particularly with my serve.”

Fourth-seeded Cash, who lost to Stefan Edberg in last year’s final, was backed by a vocal crowd of 15,000 at the new National Tennis Center.

“I’m not greatly disappointed, although I obviously wanted to win,” the 1987 Wimbledon champion said. “You cannot play the best tennis of your life every day. There are only a few points between the top players in the world and one day it will go one way, another day the other.”

Wilander, who had lost his previous four Grand Slam matches against Cash, was leading, 4-1, in the second set when the match was halted by rain. After play resumed, Cash rallied to win the set in a tiebreaker.

“I played the best tennis of my career in the first two sets and I don’t know how I lost the second,” Wilander said. “But that’s one of Cash’s strengths. He came back and that’s why he is going to be one of the great players.”

Wilander took a 2-0 lead in the final set before Cash rallied to even it at 6-6. Wilander broke Cash in the next game and then held serve to close out the match.

The Swede said his serve was a key to victory.

“I served well when I needed it, which is unusual for me because I don’t usually go for it on the first serve,” he said.

Wilander said he thought Cash tired late in the match.

“He got down for his volleys but he missed them and he didn’t serve as well,” he said.

Cash, 22, said Wilander’s crisp service returns were a major factor.

“Mats was just too good today,” he said. “He was returning incredibly well.”

Wilander earned a total of $155,000 in prize money and bonuses for winning the $1.9 million tournament. Cash received $77,500 as runner-up.

Wilander won in 1983 and 1984, while Edberg won in 1985 and 1987. There was no tournament in 1986 because the date was switched from December to January.

This year’s tournament was played on a cushioned hardcourt surface. It used to be played on grass in nearby Kooyong.

Coach Ian Barclay received a number of phone calls threatening Wimbledon champion Pat Cash during the Australian Open, a Melbourne newspaper reported Monday.

The Melbourne Sun said Barclay and his wife Jackie both received calls before and during the two-week event, which ended Sunday with Cash losing the men’s singles final.

The report was written by Bruce Matthews, Cash’s official biographer.

Cash was only made aware of the threats after his match.

The calls related to Cash playing in South Africa late last year.

Barclay was reported as saying he had been nervous for two weeks.

“We don’t live in Chicago,” he said. “This is supposed to be a wonderful country where people don’t threaten and intimidate.”

Barclay said he did not report the phone calls to the police “because that may have inflamed it.”

Jackie Barclay said one of the calls was particularly unpleasant.

“It was a well-spoken English voice who said Pat had 24 hours to send a letter signed that he would not play in South Africa again,” she told the Sun.

“He didn’t exactly say what would happen. He mentioned that Pat’s career would be cut short and that international forces would be brought to bear. It was not very pleasant.”

Cash, who is scheduled to leave Australia later Monday to represent his country in a Davis Cup match in Mexico, was not available for comment.