TENNIS ROUNDUP : U.S. Team Beats Soviets in ATP Cup

Jim Courier and Brad Gilbert scored straight-set singles victories today and the United States beat the Soviet Union 2-1 to advance to the final of the $1.3-million ATP World Team Cup.

Courier beat Alexander Volkov 6-4, 6-2, while Gilbert defeated Andrei Cherkasov 6-2, 6-3.

Courier and Ken Flach were upset 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 by Andrei Olshovski and Vladimir Gabrichidze in the doubles, but the defeat did not influence the outcome.

The victory over the Soviets gave the U.S. team first place in the Red Group, and it will play the winner of the Blue Group, which will complete its round-robin play Saturday when Yugoslavia plays Sweden and Argentina meets Austria.

Yugoslavia, 2-0, leads the group ahead of Argentina and Sweden, both 1-1.

In a Red Group match today, Spain defeated last year’s winner West Germany 2-1.

Sergi Bruguera put Spain ahead by beating Carl-Uwe Steeb 2-6, 6-4, 6-3, and Jordi Arrese completed the victory by upsetting Boris Becker 6-2, 6-1.

“I’ve had losses like this before and I don’t think about them too much,” Becker said.

In the doubles, Eric Jelen and Michael Stich beat Bruguera and Tomas Carbonell 6-3, 6-2.

The clay-court event serves as a major warm-up for the French Open, which starts Monday.

At Geneva, third-seeded Helen Kelesi of Canada defeated eighth-seeded Cathy Caverzasio of Italy 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 today in the quarterfinals of the European Open.

Kelesi will play unseeded Sabine Hack of West Germany in one semifinal Saturday. Hack, who upset top-seeded Manuela Maleeva in the semifinals, ousted American Shawn Stafford 6-1, 6-0 in 52 minutes.

In other quarterfinal matches, second-seeded Barbara Paulus of Austria defeated Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 6-2, 6-2, and qualifier Emanuela Zardo of Switzerland outlasted Laura Garrone of Italy 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.