TENNIS ROUNDUP : Forget, Wheaton Overcome Early Challenges

Guy Forget and David Wheaton, each coming off major victories, struggled but advanced to the second round of the New South Wales Open tournament Monday at Sydney, Australia.

Forget, a key player in France’s upset of the United States in the Davis Cup finals last month, beat Richey Reneberg, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

In Wheaton’s first appearance since winning the $2-million Grand Slam Cup last month, he beat Australia’s Wally Masur, 7-5, 7-5,

No. 6-seeded Derrick Rostagno wasn’t as fortunate, losing, 6-2, 6-4, to Cristiano Caratti of Italy.

Wheaton, seeded eighth, said it wasn’t hard getting psyched to play in a tournament with a first prize of $33,800 after winning the Grand Slam Cup.

“I don’t feel any differently,” he said. “I wasn’t really playing for money in the first place. Every time I thought like that, I played really badly. I had to put that out of my mind.”

Forget, ranked seventh in the world and seeded third in this warm-up tournament for the Australian Open, was the highest-seeded player to compete Monday.

Forget’s match with Reneberg provided a contrast--the left-handed Frenchman relying on his powerful serve and blistering forehand; the right-handed American charging the net at every opportunity.

After Reneberg served an ace to take the second set, Forget was warned for ball abuse when he hit one that went out of the stands on a bounce. He admonished himself as he sat during the changeover.

“I actually let him win the second set,” Forget said. “All of a sudden I didn’t serve as well . . . didn’t hit the ball as hard as I can.”

He said that after taking off three weeks, “I need to find my marks.”

And Forget said he wasn’t overconfident in the aftermath of France’s Davis Cup victory.

“I realized one of my biggest dreams, but I’m not different at all,” he said. “I just want to play well. I have plenty of satisfaction with my wife, my child and my friends. Tennis is just part of that.”

In other men’s matches, Aaron Krickstein beat Goran Prpic of Croatia, 6-7 (9-7), 6-4, 6-4, and Olivier Delaitre of France defeated Patrick McEnroe, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3).

Stefano Pescosolido of Italy was defaulted and fined $1,500 after the racket he kicked went into the stands and cut a woman above the eye.

Today, Michael Stich of Germany, seeded No. 1 and ranked fourth in the world, and second-seeded Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia will play. Stich lost to Forget in last year’s final at Sydney.

In the women’s draw, No. 17-seeded Barbara Paulus of Austria lost to Amy Frazier, 6-0, 6-2. Also, No. 11 Sabine Appelmans of Belgium beat Rennae Stubbs of Australia, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; No. 12 Lori McNeil beat the Netherlands’ Brenda Schultz, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, and No. 13 Julie Halard beat Eva Sviglerova of Czechoslovakia, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.

The top eight women’s seeded players had first-round byes. Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina is seeded first. Jana Novotna of Czechoslovakia, seeded third, is the defending champion.

Second-seeded Andrei Cherkasov of Russia beat Jim Grabb, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, in the opening round of a $182,000 tournament at Auckland, New Zealand.

Also advancing were fourth-seeded Francisco Clavet of Spain, who beat Marian Vajda of Czechoslovakia, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, and fifth-seeded Paul Haarhuis of the Netherlands, who beat Brett Steven of New Zealand, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In other matches, Markus Zoecke of Germany defeated Mark Koevermans of the Netherlands, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; Grant Connell of Canada beat Lars Jonsson of Sweden, 6-3, 6-4; Andrei Olhovskiy of Russia defeated Jaime Oncins of Brazil, 6-3, 6-1, and Jaime Yzaga of Peru beat Jean-Philippe Fleurian of France, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.

The tournament is a warm-up for the Australian Open.