Tennis Roundup : Lendl Rallies to Reach Final for First Time This Year

Top-seeded Ivan Lendl gained his first final of the year Saturday by scoring a 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Yannick Noah of France in the $492,500 Monte Carlo Open tennis tournament.

Later, Martin Jaite of Argentina beat Thierry Tulasne of France, 6-4, 6-2, to keep alive his chance at the $67,500 first prize.

Lendl, playing in only his third tournament of the year because of a stress fracture in his right foot, lost the first set but gradually improved his play to get back into the match.

“At the beginning, I couldn’t get into my rhythm, but after the tiebreak I really got into it,” Lendl said.

He took the second-set tiebreaker, 7-4, after wasting four set points in the 12th game and another in the tiebreaker.

“I felt I had him in the first set and into the second. But he came up with good shots when he had to,” Noah said.

“That’s the difference between the good players and the great players.”

Lendl finally won the match when he broke Noah for the third time in the third set.

“Lendl worked hard in this tournament,” Noah said. “I don’t like to say that, but he deserved to win.”

For the second day in a row, Noah was involved in a controversial call that may have affected the match.

At 2-2 in the third set, Lendl had three break points on Noah’s serve, leading, 0-40. Noah held off two but, on the third, he hit a deep approach shot that handcuffed Lendl just behind the baseline.

The ball was called out at first, but then the linesman changed his mind and called it on the line. But play had been interrupted, and chair umpire Gerald Armstrong allowed the point to be replayed.

Noah lost the next point when Lendl easily passed him as he rushed the net behind his serve.

Lendl held his serve after that and added another service break at 6-3 for the match.

Top-seeded Martina Navratilova and defending champion Chris Evert advanced to the final of the $250,000 Virginia Slims of Houston, setting up a rematch of last year’s tournament, won by Evert.

Navratilova defeated Elly Hakami, 6-3, 6-1, and Evert beat Zina Garrison, 7-5, 6-2, in the semifinals.