TENNIS / AUSTRALIAN OPEN : Becker Gets Up Down Under to Beat Lendl

Boris Becker won his first Australian Open title and leaped to No. 1 for the first time in his career as he overcame back spasms to beat Ivan Lendl with a diving, rolling net attack.

Becker shied away from the net in the opening set while troubled by his back, but after a quick massage and some stretches midway through the second set he roared back to beat the two-time defending champion, 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, today.

Becker leaped into the air, heaved his racket high into the packed crowd of 15,000, then fled briefly from the court after his final forehand winner broke Lendl at 15-40 on a second match point.

The German returned moments later for the trophy presentation and was too emotional to express himself to the crowd.

“It’s unbelievable for me at this moment,” he said.

Becker, 23, won three Wimbledons and one U.S. Open, but this victory finally put him atop the men’s ranking, displacing Stefan Edberg, who took the No. 1 spot from Lendl last summer.

Becker matched Lendl’s nine aces, but won this match with his more dynamic play at the net, frolicking on the hard court as if it were Wimbledon’s grass.

Lendl played superbly in the opening set, hammering winners from corner to corner while Becker struggled. Lendl finished off the set with his fourth ace, and Becker bellowed to himself in German about his poor play and kept flexing his back to loosen up.

Becker won one of his five approaches to the net in the first set and was still struggling early in the second set. After Lendl unleashed three more aces to hold to 2-2 in the second set, Becker stayed with him to hold to 3-2, then took off his shirt to get a courtside massage by a trainer.

Without taking an injury timeout, Becker recovered quickly and started playing more aggressively at the net.

Becker ventured to the net 14 times in the second set, winning five points in that fashion, and took the set by breaking Lendl with a lunging, stretching forehand volley on Lendl’s forehand passing attempt.

Becker opened the third set with two service winners and held on after saving three break points and getting the advantage with a brilliant backhand volley reminiscent of his net play at Wimbledon. It was the second time in the game Becker hit that kind of acrobatic shot, and the crowd roared.

Emboldened by his success at the net, Becker charged in 16 times in the third set, winning 10 of those forays, then closed out the set with a running forehand pass down the line and into the corner that broke Lendl’s service and spirit.

“He was hitting 100 miles an hour on some of his shots,” Lendl said.

Becker served even harder than that as he uncorked four service winners and two aces and allowed only three points in his two service games of the fourth set.

The crowd erupted as Becker closed in on victory with a 3-2 lead.

But Lendl, who escaped two match points against Edberg in the semifinals, did not fold easily. He held at love to 3-3, and the set stayed on serve until Lendl served the 10th game.

Becker took a love-40 lead on two errors by Lendl and a winning volley set up by a big forehand approach shot.

Lendl saved one match point on a backhand crosscourt pass, but Becker closed out the match on Lendl’s second serve on the next point when he drilled a forehand return down the line.