TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN : Edberg Hangs On to Defeat Soviet

Stefan Edberg, a first-round loser as the top-seeded player in the French and U.S. Opens, overcame Soviet qualifier Dimitri Poliakov to avoid the same fate at the Australian Open.

Edberg got an unexpectedly brisk workout on a cool, overcast Tuesday before winning, 6-1, 7-6 (8-6), 6-2.

Twice Edberg came back, from 2-4 in games and 1-3 in the tiebreaker, during the second set to beat a 162nd-ranked player who had to win three qualifying matches to enter the tournament and who had played only once before in a Grand Slam event.

At Wimbledon, Poliakov extended former champion Pat Cash to five sets before losing.

“It wasn’t easy, but at least it was a win in three sets,” said Edberg, who won the Australian on grass in 1985 and 1987. “I didn’t exactly have the right timing in the second set, and he was hitting a lot of good points. It was good, in a way, coming back from 2-4. After that I felt better.”

Asked whether he thought he had to win on the hard courts here to stay No. 1, Edberg said:

“I need to win all four (Grand Slam events), and still you can’t be sure.”

Mats Wilander, the Australian champion in 1983, 1984 and 1988, beat 19-year-old Australian Heath Denman 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4.

“I think I’ve got a very good draw here, and that gives me a chance to win some matches,” Wilander said.

In other matches Tuesday, Ivan Lendl, going after his third straight Australian Open title, defeated Tarik Benhabiles, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3; Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the women’s sixth-seeded player, beat Natalia Medvedeva, 6-0, 6-2; Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, No. 7, beat Jo-Anne Faull, 6-2, 6-0; and Jana Novotna, No. 10, beat Anne Mintner, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.

Second-seeded Boris Becker paused only for a brief rain and the closing of the retractable roof above center court Monday before beating Jeremy Bates, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Top-seeded Steffi Graf slowed down only long enough for her opponent, Jennifer Santrock, to catch her breath before winning in 48 minutes, 6-3, 6-0.

Becker, ranked No. 2 behind Edberg, could take over the No. 1 spot if he wins this title. But he hasn’t made it past the quarterfinals in five appearances here. He came to Australia three weeks ago to adjust to the heat and work on his hard-court game, but then lost first-round matches in back-to-back tournaments.

Some players are wondering whether Becker will ever do well here.

“He could have another 10 attempts” and not win, Bates said. “After all, (Bjorn) Borg never won the U.S. Open and Lendl’s never won Wimbledon. I think Boris has a chance to win here, probably more than Lendl has of winning Wimbledon.”

Becker’s work before the tournament paid off with a better first-round performance than he has usually had here, although he never has suffered the indignity of losing an opening match.

“I’m feeling a little bit better about my timing,” Becker said.

Graf ran her Australian Open victory streak to 22 in her bid for a fourth consecutive title.