TENNIS ROUNDUP : Lendl Gets Past Chang in European Championship Semifinals

Top-seeded Ivan Lendl swept past Michael Chang, 6-2, 6-3, Saturday in the semifinals of the $1,050,000 European Community Championship at Antwerp, Belgium.

In today’s final, Lendl will play Miloslav Mecir of Czechoslovakia, who downed third-seeded Brad Gilbert, 6-4, 7-5, in the other semifinal.

“My record against Lendl is quite bad,” Mecir said. “I won maybe once against him.”

Lendl used a dynamic forehand to chase Chang all over the court and keep the pressure on throughout the match.

In their last meeting, the 17-year-old Chang beat Lendl in the French Open.

On the clay courts of Paris, Chang was able to run down Lendl’s shots, but on the faster surface, he could only watch many of Lendl’s drives.

“I just wanted to hit the ball hard, and under these conditions it is possible,” Lendl said.

Mecir, relying on his trusty backcourt game, kept his composure while Gilbert appeared to lose his cool at times.

Top-seeded Steffi Graf of West Germany struggled past fourth-seeded Jana Novotna of Czechoslovakia, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the semifinals of a women’s tournament at Brighton, England.

In today’s final, Graf will play third-seeded Monica Seles of Yugoslavia, who beat Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria, 6-3, 6-2.

“I thought today was the day she was beatable,” Novotna said. “I didn’t think she was hitting as hard as normal. Perhaps it was my imagination.”

Novotna seemed to surprise Graf with her powerful serve and sharp volleys in the opening set, breaking the West German’s serve in the fifth game. It was Graf’s first loss of a set since the U.S. Open final.

“In the first set, she served awfully well,” Graf said. “I had one bad game and the set was gone. There was nothing I could do.”