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McEnroe, Agassi Complete Sweep With Victories

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<i> Times Staff Writer </i>

Davis Cup themes of the week:

John McEnroe isn’t getting older; he’s getting better.

Andre Agassi has “toned down” his act.

And the U.S. team may just be, as captain Tom Gorman insists, “stronger than ever.”

The Americans completed their surprisingly easy 5-0 sweep over a powerful French team Sunday at the San Diego Sports Arena when Agassi beat Yannick Noah, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), followed by McEnroe’s 6-3, 6-1 waltz over Henri Leconte.

Sunday’s matches meant next to nothing because the United States had taken an insurmountable 3-0 lead Saturday night with a victory by the doubles team of Ken Flach and Robert Seguso. Which is why Davis Cup officials followed the common practice of reducing them to the best of three sets on the final day.

The United States advances to the World Group semifinals July 21-23 against defending Davis Cup defending champion West Germany at a site to be determined by the West Germans.

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Early speculation points to Dortmund, the site of West Germany’s 1988 semifinal Davis Cup victory over Yugoslavia. Dortmund is located in the heart of the country’s industrial district and has a huge indoor arena. The surface will probably be the same fast Supreme Court used in San Diego this weekend. It is Boris Becker’s favorite court. And Becker’s mentor, Ian Tiriac, is the promoter for the match.

The West German team, which defeated Czechoslovakia, 3-2, this weekend in a surprisingly close quarterfinal, features Becker and Carl-Uwe Steeb. Steeb, better on slow courts, beat Agassi last month in Florida. Becker has won Wimbledon twice.

Not to worry, Agassi said.

“To say it’s likely for us to win (against the West Germans) is an understatement,” Agassi said.

“We’ll certainly go in as favorites,” McEnroe added.

Agassi says he’s playing the best tennis of his life and the Las Vegas resident claims his game no longer resembles a lounge act.

“The fact that all that stuff (his on-court antics) was so new last year made everybody think I was a comedian or something and not a tennis player,” Agassi said.

Noah knows he is a tennis player. Agassi broke Noah’s serve in the sixth game of the first set with a forehand passing shot on the line. He won the second-set tiebreaker and the match when Noah served his only double fault.

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Afterward, Agassi threw his shirt to an adoring crowd. Showmen fade slowly.

The outcome of McEnroe’s match never appeared in doubt.

“I knew within two minutes I was already into it,” said McEnroe, who improved his record against Leconte to 10-0.

Neither Noah nor Leconte was able to break McEnroe’s serve in his two matches here.

The final U.S. theme: Unity.

Flach and Seguso, who have feuded in the past, say they are closer than ever. McEnroe, 30, and Agassi, 18, say they are learning to live with their differences.

“I sort of fire up off his youthfulness,” McEnroe said. “And he sort of learns from my experience. It’s a good combination.”

The last time the United States won the Davis Cup was in France in 1982. If the Americans defeat the West Germans, they will play the winner of Yugoslavia vs. Sweden in the championship, which will be played Dec. 15-17.

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