Tennis Roundup : Becker, Connors Happy to Return to Grass Courts

Boris Becker needed only a grass court to get back in the groove Tuesday, using just 58 minutes to win his first-round match of the $385,000 Stella Artois championships at London’s Queens Club.

The fourth-seeded West German dropped only six points while serving in the opening set, defeating Charlton Eagle, a South African-born Australian, 6-1, 6-3, in the Wimbledon warmup tournament.

“It’s a good feeling to play on a surface where you have had your biggest wins and moments,” Becker said.

Also happy to be playing on grass was third-seeded Jimmy Connors, who withdrew from the French Open because of a foot injury that has bothered him for months. Connors beat Mel Purcell, 6-3, 6-4.

“If it hurts after three or four days here, I may turn around and go home,” Connors said. “It was no problem today.”

Second-seeded Stefan Edberg’s serve was continually under threat, but he overcame Australian qualifier Shane Barr, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

Recent University of Miami (Fla.) graduate Ronni Reis upset ninth-seeded Leila Meskhi of the Soviet Union, 2-6, 7-6, 6-1, in the second round of the Dow Chemical women’s tennis tournament at Birmingham, England.

In other matches in the grass court Wimbledon tuneup, fourth-seeded Zina Garrison beat Heather Ludloff, 6-1, 6-2; Elna Reinach of South Africa upset No. 13 Gigi Fernandez of Puerto Rico, 6-3, 4-6, 8-6, and Dinky van Rensburg of South Africa surprised No. 15 Wendy White, 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.