Tennis Roundup : Connors Loses, Says He Is Tired

Jimmy Connors, knocked out of the Gunze World tennis tournament Friday by fellow American Jim Courier, said he was tired and didn’t know when he would play again.

“I may take a vacation--one week or one month, I don’t know,” Connors said after losing to the 18-year-old Courier, 1-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, in a first-round match at Yokohama, Japan.

The next major tournament, the U.S. Open, begins in late August.

Courier, who said Connors played “great tennis” in the first set, had 15 aces in his first match against the five-time U.S. Open champion.

Both players double-faulted and lost their first service games to begin the match. Then Connors ran out the first set.

In the second-set tiebreaker, Courier took a 6-3 lead, then Connors netted a forehand from the baseline.

In the third set, Courier broke Connors’ serve in the first game after they reached deuce twice. He served out the match.

Second-seeded Mats Wilander of Sweden continued to struggle but survived in the U.S Pro Tennis Championships, defeating No. 8 Jordi Arrese of Spain, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, in a quarterfinal match at Brookline, Mass.

Wilander’s victory came a day after he needed three sets and 2 hours 25 minutes to defeat Jimmy Arias.

Wilander, who had not previously played Arrese, had his serve broken and trailed, 3-1, in the first set. Although the Swede rallied to take the next three games, he still had to win four consecutive points in the tiebreaker to close out the set.

Wilander reversed the process in the second set, taking charge with a 3-1 lead.

Wilander will play No. 11 Martin Jaite of Argentina next.

Jaite defeated countryman Eduardo Bengoechea, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3).

Top-seeded Andre Agassi outlasted Jamie Yzaga, seeded seventh, in their delayed evening quarterfinal match. Agassi beat the Peruvian, 6-4, 6-2, to move into the semifinals tonight against No. 6 Andres Gomez of Ecuador.

Gomez upset fourth-seeded Jay Berger of Plantation, Fla., in a 90-minute match spread over six hours because of bad weather. Gomez won, 6-4, 6-4, to advance to the semifinals.

Eighth-seeded Carl-Uwe Steeb of West Germany became the only seeded player remaining in the $305,000 Swiss Open when he eliminated No. 2 Aaron Krickstein in the quarterfinals at Gstaad, Switzerland.

Steeb won, 6-2, 6-4. In the semifinals, he will play unseeded Sergio Bruguera of Spain, who beat Udo Riglewski of West Germany, 7-5, 6-4.

In another quarterfinal, Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden defeated Horacio de la Pena of Argentina, 6-4, 6-4. Gustafsson will play countryman Jan Gunnarsson, who beat Todd Witsken, 7-5, 6-4.

Jim Pugh of Palos Verdes swept past Christian Saceanu of West Germany, 6-3, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Volvo-Hall of Fame championships at Newport, R.I.

Play was suspended because of rain with sixth-seeded Peter Lundgren of Sweden leading No. 3 John Fitzgerald of Australia, 5-4.