TENNIS ROUNDUP : Not Much at Stake as Lendl Gets Past McEnroe, 6-3, 7-5

It didn’t mean nearly as much as some of their earlier meetings, but John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl are not exactly what they used to be.

Lendl defeated longtime rival McEnroe, 6-3, 7-5, Saturday to move into today’s final against Stefan Edberg at the Hamlet Challenge Cup at Commack, N.Y.

“I was happy with my game, except for my serve,” said Lendl, who has won this tournament four times. “I’m rushing it. I toss up too low and hit too quick. It makes me work harder.”

Lendl continued his mastery over McEnroe. Lendl has won nine of their last 10 meetings to take a 20-15 lead in their series. He has lost only 29 games in the last five matches.

Edberg, ranked second in the world, was in control most of the way as he eliminated qualifier Olivier Delaitre of Luxembourg, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain completed a romp through the Virginia Slims of Washington with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria.

Sanchez Vicario did not lose a set, and dropped only 21 games in her four matches as she won for the first time this year and her first time ever on hard courts.

“I think this tournament gave me a lot of confidence, a lot of good preparation for the Open,” Sanchez Vicario said. “Maybe now people will start thinking I can win the U.S. Open. It’s a possibility, I think.

“Everybody thinks I can only win on clay. Now people can see I’m not a specialist. I can win on other surfaces. It was very important for me to show that.”

The title was the sixth of her career. She won her first four on clay in Europe, then won on grass courts at Newport, R.I., last summer.

Wimbledon champion Michael Stich of Germany served 11 aces as he overpowered Horst Skoff of Austria, 7-5, 6-1, to reach the final of the OTB International at Schenectady, N.Y.

In today’s final, Stich will play Emilio Sanchez of Spain, who beat Francisco Clavel, also of Spain, 7-5, 6-1.

“I played OK today,” said Stich, who has not lost a set in the tournament. “I didn’t have to do too much. He got tired.”

Skoff, who limped throughout the match because of a thigh injury, said he was still tired from his 3-hour 44-minute victory over Andrei Cherkasov of the Soviet Union on Friday.

In the women’s draw, Brenda Schultz of the Netherlands outlasted Nicole Provis of Australia, 5-7, 7-5, 6-3, and advanced to the final against Alexia Dechaume of France, who defeated Marianne Werdel, 6-1, 6-3.