Tennis Roundup : Lendl, Becker Struggle, but Both Win

Top-seeded Ivan Lendl and No. 3-seeded Boris Becker each had some problems before taking different paths to victory Friday in quarterfinal matches of the $190,000 Norstar Hamlet Challenge Cup tennis tournament at Jericho, N.Y.

Lendl and Sweden’s Anders Jarryd were tied at one set apiece when Jarryd retired because of sore feet. Lendl lost the first set, 7-6, then took the second set, 7-5, before Jarryd quit. Becker held off Israel’s Amos Mansdorf, 7-6, 7-5.

Fourth-seeded Yannick Noah of France defeated Jim Courier, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and second-seeded Andre Agassi beat Jonas B. Svensson of Sweden, 7-5, 6-3.

“I have problems with my feet,” Jarryd said. “My toes rub and get blisters. With the U.S. Open next week, I thought it best to stop and take care of myself. If this was an Open match I would have stayed on the court.”

Becker blew four set points in the tiebreaker. He was up, 6-3, when Mansdorf hit two service winners and a cross-court placement shot to reach 6-6. After Becker went ahead, 7-6, Mansdorf scored two straight points to gain a set point. Becker then ran off three in a row to take the set.

Fourth-seeded Natalia Zvereva of the Soviet Union tired in the last two sets and lost her quarterfinal match to France’s Nathalie Tauziat, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in a $200,000 women’s tournament at Mahwah, N.J.

Tauziat next meets Bulgaria’s Katerina Maleeva, seeded fifth, who ousted Sweden’s Catarina Lindvist 6-1, 6-2.

No. 3-seeded Helena Sukova beat No. 8 Stephanie Rehe, 7-5, 6-3, and will play No. 1 Steffi Graf.