World Championship Tennis Finals : Though Slowed by Sore Ankle, Gilbert Is Still Able to Upset Cash

Brad Gilbert, playing on a sore ankle, overcame Australia’s Pat Cash, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 6-4, Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the $680,000 World Championship Tennis Finals.

“I rolled it (his ankle), then I rolled it again,” Gilbert said. “I was all but gone, but I snuck in three aspirin and it felt better.”

Thursday, Gilbert is scheduled to meet West Germany’s Boris Becker, who defeated Ecuador’s Andres Gomez, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4, in Tuesday night’s second match.

Cash said he paid little attention to Gilbert’s physical problems.

“I heard him call for the trainer once,” the Wimbledon champion said, “but that was about all I noticed.”

Gilbert’s ankle was in a cast for a month late last year after he injured it at the Masters, where he lost to Ivan Lendl in the semifinals.

“When he had me down, 4-3, in the third set, I thought I was about through,” Gilbert said. “But then I got a little lucky and won the set, and I decided I would play one more set and see what happened.”

Cash said Gilbert’s serve decided the match.

“I can’t remember when someone served that well against me. It might be that he thought he couldn’t move around too well, so he decided to put all he could into his serve. If that is what he wanted to do, it certainly worked.”