TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN : Cool McEnroe Beats Heat, Sanchez in 5 Sets

John McEnroe, obeying his self-imposed gag order on court, stayed cool in blistering 124-degree heat and pulled off a five-set, 4-hour 41-minute victory at the Australian Open Sunday.

McEnroe, three games from a straight-set romp into the quarterfinals, endured a courageous comeback by the younger Emilio Sanchez to win, 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 2-6, 8-6, on his sixth match point.

Unlike McEnroe’s three-set victory over defending champion Boris Becker, a match played on a chilly night against a powerful serve-and-volleyer, McEnroe had to cope with a burning court and a crafty baseliner. He had to stave off three match points in the fifth set.

McEnroe ruled the net with his quickness, touch volleys and overheads in the first two sets, virtually forcing the 13th-seeded Sanchez to change his tactics and venture away from the baseline.

As Sanchez, 26, attacked more in the third set, McEnroe began to wilt, suddenly showing the six-year age difference.

Sanchez broke McEnroe to 4-3 in the third set as McEnroe wearily hit an indifferent backhand wide.

The fourth set turned into a rest stop for McEnroe, who seemed to drift through it while awaiting his chance in the fifth set.

In the fifth, McEnroe reached deep inside and found the strength he needed.

If ever he was going unleash his explosive temper in this match it would have been on his third match point on Sanchez’ serve in the 10th game. Leading, 5-4, 30-40, McEnroe watched Sanchez’s first serve go by for a dubious ace.

The crowd roared in protest. McEnroe pointed to the spot where he thought the serve landed long, but there was no overrule by the umpire. Television replays showed the serve apparently long.

McEnroe briefly buried his head in his hands, then returned to receive, obviously dispirited, but refusing to yield to his emotions.

McEnroe lost the game and nearly the match. Sanchez blew two match points at 40-15 in the 12th game with a double-fault and wildly mis-hit forehand. A drop volley gave Sanchez a third chance, but he failed again to cash in when he tapped a backhand volley into the net.

The tension mounting with each stroke, McEnroe grabbed the advantage with another mis-hit forehand by Sanchez, then broke him back when Sanchez dumped a forehand into the net.

McEnroe easily held service to 7-6 with a delicate forehand drop volley at 40-15, then jumped on Sanchez’s serve to take a 0-30 lead with a backhand volley on the second point. Sanchez netted an easy backhand to give McEnroe two more match points, but the first was wasted with a backhand into the net on a passing attempt.

Sanchez saved his fifth match point with a backhand pass crosscourt. McEnroe finally ended the incredible duel on his sixth match point with a forehand into the corner and down the line.

McEnroe’s tongue lolled out of his mouth as he walked to the net to shake hands and wrap his arms around Sanchez in an affectionate hug. Exhausted, though not too much to display a bit of humor, McEnroe dropped to the court and lay sprawled flat on his back for a half-minute as the crowd laughed and cheered.

In other men’s play, second-seeded Jim Courier reached the fourth round with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 romp over Thomas Muster, and Michael Chang, who had an 11-2 record in five-set matches, fell in a three-hour, see-saw battle to Richard Krajicek, 6-4, 6-1, 5-7, 1-6, 6-3.

In women’s matches, defending champion Monica Seles survived her first taste of pressure at the Australian Open, but her victim in last year’s final, Jana Novotna, fell amid a flurry of double-faults against teen-ager Anke Huber.

Seles overcame an unusually high number of errors, 52, to beat Leila Meskhi 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, while Novotna double-faulted three times and lost the last five games in dropping a a 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 decision to Huber.