Edberg Disposes of Sampras at ATP to Clinch the World No. 1 Ranking : Tennis: The Swede beats teen-ager from Rancho Palos Verdes in two sets. Becker defeats Lendl but will have to settle for No. 2.

Stefan Edberg made sure of ending the year as the top-ranked player in the world by beating Pete Sampras, 7-5, 6-4, at the ATP Tour World Championships today.

Edberg, of Sweden, advanced to the semifinals of the tournament with the victory over the 19-year-old from Rancho Palos Verdes. The Wimbledon champion, who took over the No. 1 spot on Aug. 13, broke Sampras once in each set and eliminated the American from the tournament.

Earlier, Boris Becker rallied impressively to beat Ivan Lendl, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4, and that forced Edberg into a situation in which he had to beat the U.S. Open champion Sampras to clinch No. 1.

Edberg will play Lendl in the semifinals, while Becker will face Andre Agassi.

The second-ranked Becker, of Germany, appeared on the verge of defeat after Lendl rolled through the first set. Becker and Lendl already had clinched places in the semifinals, along with Agassi.

Becker, roared on by 9,000 home fans, gained the key break in the ninth game of the decisive set.

Lendl netted a volley and was hit by bad luck when a Becker return bounced off the netcord high over Lendl as the Czechoslovak charged to the net.

That gave Becker two break points, and he used the first.

Racing to the net to meet a Becker return, Lendl mis-hit the ball, and it went high. He was already walking to his chair when Becker slammed the ball into the empty court.

A backhand volley that touched the line gave Becker two match points and he converted the first by firing his 13th ace.

“I sort of took it as a great practice day, win or lose there was nothing at stake for me,” Lendl said. “He was serving well and he was volleying better than I’ve seen him in some time.”

Lendl, making a record 11th appearance in the year-ending event that he won five times when it was known as the Masters, stunned Becker in the first set by charging to the net behind almost every serve.

Usually more comfortable at the baseline, Lendl dropped only three points on his serve in the first set.

“Maybe I am trying to become a serve and volley player in the second half of my career,” Lendl joked after the match.

Becker agreed that it was a good practice day, “but it was a pretty long practice day.”

“After the first set, I was just trying to win a couple of more games. But I started playing better. It was a matter of pride,” said Becker, who evened his career record against Lendl at 9-9.