TENNIS ROUNDUP : Becker Up and Down in Victory

Top-seeded Boris Becker, playing streaky tennis, moved into the third round of the $1.2-million Monte Carlo Open with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 victory Wednesday over qualifier Tom Nijssen of the Netherlands.

Becker started by winning four games in a row. He then lost the second set.

“It was a good start with four-love and then 6-2,” Becker said. “In set two I just missed a couple of important shots on break points and I just couldn’t come back.”

He rebounded from the second-set loss by winning the first five games of the third set before finishing the match.

Defending champion Sergei Bruguera of Spain was sent to an early exit, losing to Goran Prpic, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. Prpic plays Magnus Larsson of Sweden, who eliminated No. 6 Petr Korda on Tuesday.

Becker plays 16th-seeded Aaron Krickstein, the last American in the tournament, in today’s fourth round. Krickstein routed a Swedish qualifier, Lars Wahlgren, 6-1, 6-1.

Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, who defeated Bjorn Borg on Monday, eliminated the hottest player on clay this year, Carlos Costa of Spain, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

In other second-round matches, Spain’s Emilio Sanchez outlasted Stefano Pescosolido of Italy, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4), and Marc Rosset of Switzerland defeated Thierry Champion of France, 7-5, 6-2.

Monica Seles coasted to a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Nicole Muns-Jagerman of the Netherlands to advance to the quarterfinals of the International Women’s Tennis Championships of Spain at Barcelona.

Seles next will face Mary Pierce, an American who plays out of France. Pierce advanced with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Fetra Thoren of Finland.