TENNIS ROUNDUP : Graf, Rinaldi Continue Comebacks

Steffi Graf continued her comeback from a serious thumb injury with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Andrea Temesvari Wednesday night at the Bausch & Lomb Championships at Amelia Island, Fla.

The win on the clay courts of Amelia Island Plantation extended Graf’s winning streak to 54 consecutive matches and sent her into the quarterfinals of a tournament she hasn’t won since 1987.

Earlier, No. 16-seeded Kathy Rinaldi took another step on a comeback trail of her own with a 6-4, 6-2 second-round victory over Donna Faber.

A top 10 player four years ago, Rinaldi still is trying to overcome a 1987 thumb injury. She currently is No. 51.

Brad Gilbert, Aaron Krickstein and Patrick McEnroe won their second-round matches in the $1.15-million Japan Open tennis tournament in Tokyo, and all beat fellow Americans.

Gilbert, seeded third, came back after a lethargic first set to beat Brad Pearce, 1-6, 6-1, 6-0, and fourth-seeded Krickstein ousted David Pate, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4). McEnroe, younger brother of John, came from behind for a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory over Paul Chamberlin.

Top-seeded Ivan Lendl, playing just 20 hours after arriving in Tokyo, and second-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden easily advanced to the third round.

Lendl, the world’s top-ranked player, beat Shuzo Matsuoka, Japan’s No. 1 player, 6-4, 6-2. Edberg overwhelmed American Leif Shiras 6-0, 6-2.

In the women’s second-round matches, top-seeded Catarina Lindqvist beat Sabine Appelmans, 7-5, 6-2, and Kumiko Okamoto upset fourth-seeded Betsy Nagelsen of the United States, 6-1, 6-2.

Top-seeded Jay Berger of the United States defeated Omar Camporese of Italy, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), in the third round of the Count of Godo tennis tournament in Barcelona, Spain.