Tennis Roundup : Perez-Roldan, Rosset Win at Geneva

Fourth-seeded Guillermo Perez-Roldan of Argentina and Marc Rosset of Switzerland won semifinal matches Saturday in the $220,000 Geneva Open tennis championship.

Perez-Roldan scored a 6-4, 6-3 victory over countryman Francisco Yunis, and Rosset, playing in his first Grand Prix semifinal, defeated Eduardo Bengoechea of Argentina, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2.

Perez-Roldan, 19, who has fallen in the rankings from 13 to 37, mixed aggressive play at the net with his usual steady baseline game.

“When I am playing well, I go to the net as I did today,” he said. “I am playing well and I feel I can win this tournament. If I have confidence as I have now I can return to the top 15.”

Perez-Roldan has won four Grand Prix titles but has not won since a May, 1988 victory in Munich.

Rosset came back from 0-2, 15-40 in the first set to win six consecutive games.

Lori McNeil and Patty Fendick teamed to complete a U.S. sweep of Wightman Cup women’s competition as they defeated Britain’s Jo Durie and Anne Hobbs, 6-3, 6-3, at Williamsburg, Va.

After trailing, 3-2, in the second set, the Americans rallied and broke Hobbs’ serve to take a 4-3 lead. They broke Durie’s serve to win the final game, which ended when McNeil hit a forehand winner down the line.

McNeil also won in singles, beating Sara Gomer, 6-4, 6-2, in the competition between some of the United States’ and Britain’s best female players.

Mary Joe Fernandez defeated Durie, 6-1, 7-5, in the other singles match.

The top-seeded team of Gigi Fernandez and Robin White beat fellow Americans Cynthia and Cammy MacGregor, 6-4, 6-2, in the semifinals of a $175,000 International women’s doubles tournament at Tokyo.

Elizabeth Smylie and Wendy Turnbull of Australia defeated Maya Kidowaki and Kimiko Date of Japan, 6-2, 6-2, in the other semifinal match.

Australia’s Rachel McQuillan and Sweden’s Cecilia Dahlman won matches to reach the final of a $75,000 International women’s tournament at Athens.

McQuillan defeated Francesca Romano of Italy, 6-1, 6-2, and Dahlman overpowered Laura Garrone of Italy, 6-4, 6-2.

In the doubles semifinals, Sandra Cecchini of Italy and Patricia Tarabini of Argentina beat Marzia Grossi of Italy and Marina Pawlik of West Germany, 6-4, 7-5, and Silke Meier of West Germany and Elena Pampoulova of Bulgaria defeated Finland’s Anna Aalonen and Barbara Romano of Italy, 6-1, 6-0.

Martin Jaite of Argentina and Spain’s Jordi Arrese advanced to the final of the Madrid Grand Prix tournament with straight-set victories.

Jaite, seeded second, defeated Javier Sanchez Vicario of Spain, 6-4, 6-4, and No. 4 Jordi beat Sergio Casal of Spain, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5).