TENNIS ROUNDUP : Becker Outlasts McEnroe; Edberg Wins

Boris Becker caught John McEnroe on one of McEnroe’s best days, which means he was as brilliant as he was temperamental.

And Becker was better.

The West German advanced to the final of the $1.3-million Paris Open by unleashing big serves on big points to beat the third-seeded McEnroe, 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3, Saturday.

Becker will play No. 2 Stefan Edberg in today’s final, which is worth $300,000 to the winner. Edberg beat sixth-seeded Aaron Krickstein, 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, in the other semifinal.

“At the end, he was just a little better,” McEnroe said. “But I felt I played well. We both did. It’s exciting to be part of a match like that.”

It was the fifth consecutive time that Becker had defeated McEnroe.

But McEnroe, who lost seven consecutive points in the first-set tiebreaker, did not go quietly. His game took a decided upswing after he was assessed a penalty point in the fourth game of the second set.

The outburst began with McEnroe leading, 2-1, and Becker serving at 15-15. McEnroe had already been complaining loudly about Becker’s slow preparation for service. Then, McEnroe was warned about his delaying tactics while waiting for Becker to serve.

“He’s not ready to play when he gets to the line,” McEnroe argued with chair umpire Richard Ings. “What makes you think I couldn’t get ready to play in 10 seconds?”

Eventually, the tournament supervisor came out and McEnroe drew a penalty, but his play improved. He quickly broke Becker’s serve and won the second set.

Becker responded in the third set by breaking McEnroe’s serve in the second game and holding serve for the rest of the match.

Top-seeded Martina Navratilova needed only 61 minutes to defeat unseeded Anne Smith, 6-3, 6-2, in one semifinal match of a $300,000 tournament at Worcester, Mass.

Navratilova will play third-seeded Zina Garrison, who upset second-seeded Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-3), in the other semifinal.