Tennis Roundup : Chang Starts Strong but Is Finally Beaten by Edberg

Top-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden overcame Michael Chang, 7-6 (7-4), 6-4, Thursday night in the first round of the $640,000 Hong Kong Marlboro Tennis Championships.

Chang, 16, won the favor of the capacity crowd of 3,700 at Victoria Park. Chang, the youngest male player to have won matches at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, made a strong start against third-ranked Edberg, the Wimbledon champion.

After a series of stunning service returns, Chang broke Edberg in the fourth game with a backhand return. Edberg attacked at the net far more often and eventually ended his opponent’s momentum.

“I went out there relaxed and played as well as I can, but right now he’s too strong for me,” Chang said.

Today in the quarterfinals, Edberg will meet South Africa native Johan Kriek, who defeated Australia’s Mark Woodforde, 6-4, 6-1.

The tournament’s first upset occurred when fourth-seeded Guillermo Perez-Roldan, 17, of Argentina lost, 6-4, 7-6, to Venezuelan Nicolas Pereira, this year’s Wimbledon and French Open junior champion.

Second-seeded Andre Agassi of Las Vegas brushed aside qualifier Brad Pearce of Provo, Utah, 6-1, 6-4, to advance to a quarterfinal match against David Pate of Los Angeles. Pate beat South African-born Kevin Curren, 5-7, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3).

Third-seeded Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia needed three sets to beat defending champion Eliot Teltscher of Palos Verdes Estates, 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.

Tim Mayotte and Richard Matuszewski led four players into the quarterfinals of the $510,000 Australian Indoor tennis championships at Sydney.

The top-seeded Mayotte, from Boston, beat compatriot Todd Nelson, 7-5, 6-2, in a second-round match at the Sydney Entertainment Center.

Matuszewski, 24, from New York, beat Californian Marty Davis, 6-4, 6-4, in another second-round match.

Chris Evert beat Catarina Lindquist of Sweden, 6-1, 7-6, to advance to the quarterfinals of a $250,000 tournament at Filderstadt, West Germany.

Evert next plays Sylvia Hanika of West Germany, and Martina Navratilova plays Czechoslovakia’s Radka Zrubakova.

Milan Srejber of Czechoslovakia upset fourth-ranked Jonas Svensson of Sweden, 6-3, 6-3, in the second round of the $290,000 Olympia Tennis tournament at Toulouse, France.