Tennis Roundup : Connors Nearly Throws Shutout to Win 107th Title

At 36 years old, Jimmy Connors still has days when he says, “I can’t play much better than that.”

Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union held his serve only once as Connors rolled to a 6-2, 6-0 victory Sunday in the final of the $290,000 Olympia Open tennis tournament at Toulouse, France.

Connors extended his record for tournament victories to 107. It was the first time since 1984 that he has won two Grand Prix events in one season. His other win was at Washington in late July.

Informed it was his first championship in France, Connors said: “I’m climbing new mountains everyday. I’m doing something good every time I come out to play.”

Connors won the first 3 games of the match before Chesnokov settled down to win 2 games. Connors was unstoppable after that, keeping Chesnokov off balance with deep ground strokes to the backhand and with soft drop shots.

Connors also charged the net behind some of his serves in the second set, catching the Soviet flat-footed.

“He played too good for me. Jimmy every game played better and better,” Chesnokov said.

In their 79th meeting, Martina Navratilova maintained the upper hand throughout to defeat Chris Evert, 6-2, 6-3, in the championship match of the $250,000 Virginia Slims tournament at Filderstadt, West Germany.

Navratilova needed 75 minutes to get her 42nd victory of the rivalry.

“See you in 1989,” Navratilova said. “I’ll be here even if Steffi (Graf) plans to play.”

At Sydney, Australia, Slobodan Zivojinovic of Yugoslavia ended a 2-year victory drought by defeating Richard Matuszewski, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4, to win the $510,000 Australian Indoor championship.

Zivojinovic had 18 aces to boost his total to 58 for the tournament.