Three Old Faces, One New One in Men’s Semifinals

Ivan Lendl believes no one should be surprised that the Wimbledon semifinals have come to this.

“Three weeks ago, you could have said that Boris, Stefan and myself would be in the semifinals,” Lendl said. “Well, now we are here.”

Lendl, seeded and ranked No. 1, plays third-seeded Edberg in one semifinal, and second-seeded Boris Becker meets unseeded Goran Ivanisevic in the other.

The Lendl-Becker-Edberg triumvirate has ruled Wimbledon semifinals in recent years.

This is Lendl’s fifth consecutive Wimbledon semifinal and seventh since he began playing here in 1979. Last year, Lendl lost to Becker in a five-set semifinal, and Becker went on to beat Edberg in the final.

Edberg’s semifinal appearance is his fourth in a row. The last time he lost in a Wimbledon semifinal was when Lendl beat him in 1987.

Becker is playing in his third consecutive Wimbledon semifinal and fifth overall. A three-time champion (1985-86-89), Becker has failed to reach the final only twice. In 1984, he lost to Bill Scanlon in the third round, and in 1987 he lost to Peter Doohan in the second round.

The newcomer to the group is Ivanisevic. An 18-year-old, 6-foot-4 left-hander from Split, Yugoslavia, Ivanisevic has never played in a Grand Slam semifinal and has never won a pro tournament.

However, he is averaging 18.4 aces a match.

“I am serving unbelievable, so I think I have a chance,” Ivanisevic said.