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Lendl Serves Up a Victory Over Edberg

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<i> Associated Press </i>

Ivan Lendl got in 88% of his first serves and needed just 57 minutes to beat second-seeded Stefan Edberg, 6-2, 6-3, Sunday in the final of a $415,000 tennis tournament.

Lendl, the No. 1 ranked men’s player in the world, defeated the fourth-ranked Edberg in 90-degree heat to earn $59,500 for his second victory of the year.

“I thought I played reasonably well,” Lendl said. “I didn’t make any errors and I thought my serve had kick. I felt good.”

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Edberg, a 23-year-old Swede who is the reigning Wimbledon champion and was seeking his 19th singles title, made $29,750.

Lendl, who lost only one set in five matches, broke Edberg in the third and fifth games of the 25-minute first set.

In the second set, Lendl broke Edberg for a 4-3 lead and then took the final two games--winning on a backhand passing shot down the line off Edberg’s serve.

“That seventh game was important,” Lendl said. “I almost blew it there. I had him at 40-love and then pushed a shot wide and almost let him back in. Had I lost that game, we might still be out there.”

Lendl is 8-4 against Edberg, winning five of the last six. His only loss in the last six matches came in three sets in the final of the 1987 Tokyo Indoors.

“I didn’t have the edge you need when you play Ivan,” Edberg said after losing the final nine points. “He was too strong. He was in control of the match.

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“I won the first game and then lost my concentration. After that, I really didn’t have a chance to get back in the match because Ivan was playing so well. I needed a break and didn’t get it. I couldn’t hit many winners.”

Edberg changed rackets three times and had just seven placement winners to Lendl’s 24.

“I had problems with the tension in my rackets,” Edberg said. “I couldn’t find the right one. But it was not the racket’s fault.”

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