Connors Lashes Out at Umpire After Loss : Tennis: Woodforde wins in three sets, as 39-year-old complains about line call.

Jimmy Connors lay on his back on a bag of ice in the trainers room Friday night but he was still sizzling. Take a wild guess at whom was he mad at?

Did you say linesmen? Did you say chair umpire?

“If those (people) want to watch, buy a ticket,” said Connors, who was angry over a line call when he had a break point and missed it at 4-3 in the third set in a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, loss to Mark Woodforde in the quarterfinals of the Volvo/Los Angeles tournament.

“I don’t give a (darn) whether I win or lose, but how I lose,” Connors said. “I should still be out there playing.”

Connors had approached chair umpire Paulo Pereira to question the call, but wasn’t satisfied with what he was told. Connors, 39, loudly lamented the passing of the old days.

“I liked it better when I could just pull them off their chairs and stick a racket down their throats,” Connors said. “Players don’t have one right anymore.”

The end came sort of suddenly for Connors, who lost his serve in the seventh game of the third set without winning a point, an ugly service game that ended with a double fault followed by a shaky forehand into the net.

Woodforde closed out the match, much like he had finished the first set after Connors served up three consecutive double faults for the only break of the set.

Connors said he will remedy the situation involving officials when he starts his senior tour next year.

“We’ll all call our own lines,” he said. “Not one guy will (complain). If anyone does, we’ll kick his (bottom).”

Answering the question of what happens when someone who hits serves roughly twice the speed limit plays someone who thinks he has an arrow in his side, Richard Krajicek defeated Jeff Tarango, 6-7 (7-4), 6-0, 3-1, when Tarango was forced to retire because he was injured.

Krajicek clubbed 23 aces, which would have been fairly impressive if not for the fact that Tarango could scarcely turn his body.

“It was like someone had an arrow and was twisting it in my side,” Tarango said.

After pulling a muscle in his right side in his second-round match against David Wheaton, Tarango needed help to get out of bed Friday because of the pain.

“It was unbearable,” Tarango said.

Krajicek’s problems are on a somewhat smaller scale. Since he arrived long before the tournament began, Krajicek is closing in on 14 days in town and it’s taking its toll.

“Well, I’ve memorized the room service menu,” he said. “I’m going nuts in my room. I can’t stand to see one more angel’s hair pasta with prawns.”

Besides that, Krajicek’s two favorite television shows--”Cheers” and “Married With Children”--are on at the same time, so he flips the channels back and forth during commercials.

“It’s pretty pathetic,” he admitted.

Sandon Stolle slogged his way to his first professional semifinal, subduing baseliner Richey Reneberg, 6-4, 6-4. For Stolle, it was sort of an up and down performance--he had seven aces, but made only 48% of his first serves.

If Reneberg had served a little better, it may have been a different story. But Reneberg had one ace, four double faults, put in only 45% of his first serves and won only 23 of 64 points on Stolle’s serve.

“My serve didn’t give him much of a chance,” said Stolle, who admitted his own return of serve isn’t always dependable.