Lendl Hits Dead End at Wimbledon : Tennis: World’s top player again fails in his quest for the only major title to elude him. Stefan Edberg will play defending champion Boris Becker in the finals.

Ivan Lendl’s eternal quest for the Wimbledon title reached its annual dead end today against Stefan Edberg, who will face Boris Becker in the final for the third consecutive year.

The third-seeded Edberg did not lose his serve in the 6-1, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Lendl and never was seriously threatened by a man who has made no secret of his burning desire to win the only major title to have eluded him.

Becker appeared rattled as he lost the first set 6-4 to hard-serving Goran Ivanisevic, the first unseeded player in the semifinals since 1986, but rallied against the 18-year-old. After coming within two points of losing the second set, the defending champion regained his confidence by winning a tie-breaker, then finished off Ivanisevic 6-0, 7-6.

Sunday’s final will have a familiar look. Becker defeated Edberg in three quick sets in last year’s final, avenging his loss to the Swede in the 1988 championship match.

Lendl never seemed to warm up on a chilly day and at times exhibited the wooden, mechanical play he has struggled to overcome.

“Of course it’s disappointing when you lose and you don’t play well,” Lendl said. “I couldn’t get into the match. He didn’t give me anything and I couldn’t create anything.”

Despite dedicating months of hard work to developing a serve-and-volley game, Lendl showed he still is no match at Wimbledon for a natural grass-court player such as Edberg.

“I felt my first serve wasn’t hurting him enough,” Lendl said. “I felt I didn’t move well, I was a half-step slow.”

Edberg lost only 20 points in his 15 service games and faced just one break point in the match, midway through the second set.

“He put his aim on this and he tried everything he could do,” Edberg said. “He must be feeling a little sad, but I have to do my job. I want to win this one.”

Lendl converted only 57% of his chances at the net, as opposed to 79% for Edberg. The top seed made 13 errors at the net, while Edberg had just five, and was passed 19 times.

Edberg overwhelmed an erratic Lendl with two service breaks in the opening set. After each player held his serve throughout the second set, the Swede closed out a 7-2 tie-breaker with a pair of service return winners past a shell-shocked Lendl.

Edberg broke Lendl’s serve in the sixth game of the final set.

Becker, after his match with Ivanisevic, paid tribute to the challenger who was playing in his first Wimbledon semifinal.

“It was one of the best grass-court matches I’ve ever played,” Becker said. “He’s got the hardest serve and the best serve of anybody I’ve ever played.”

Ivanisevic, who beat Becker in the first round of last month’s French Open, said his lack of big-match experience showed when he was serving for the second set.

“At 6-5, I was thinking about going two sets up. I was thinking too much and I lost the game,” he said. “If I had won the second set, maybe I would have won the third also.”

Ivanisevic finished with 14 aces, one less than Becker.

Today’s defeat was a particularly bitter disappointment for Lendl. The Czechoslovak, based in Greenwich, Conn., passed up the French Open and spent three arduous months preparing on grass in Australia with coach Tony Roche grooming his serve and volley game.

Lendl, the world No. 1, said he will go through it all again next year in the hope of claiming the only Grand Slam crown that continues to elude him.

“I still feel I have a few good years left,” Lendl said. “I can imagine the time when I’m not going to be playing here anymore. But as long as I play, I’ll give it my best shot.”

Lendl has won the U.S. and French Opens three times each and is a two-time Australian Open champion.