TENNIS ROUNDUP : Becker Wants to Win, but He Can’t

Boris Becker’s desire is back, but his game is lagging.

Becker couldn’t quite stay with second-seeded Pete Sampras, who broke a third-set deadlock with two consecutive backhand winners for a 6-7 (7-3), 6-2, 7-6 (7-3) semifinal victory Saturday in the U.S. Hardcourts at Indianapolis.

“It’s the best match I’ve played in a while,” Becker said. “To come that close, it’s proof for me that I’m playing good tennis again.”

Top-seeded Jim Courier outlasted Todd Martin, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), in the other semifinal.

Becker defended himself a day after Jimmy Connors questioned whether the 24-year-old has lost his zest for tennis.

“The first half of ‘92, I wasn’t so keen on playing, which I think is normal,” he said.

Becker won two winter indoor events, but advanced past the round of 16 twice since March.

“You just don’t like to go to work every day, like anybody,” he said. “It’s just that when I do it, it’s written in the paper. Everybody’s asking why, how come you don’t have fun going to work? Well, I’m just as normal as you guys. I just don’t have fun all the time.

“But my desire’s back, as everybody could see.”

Sampras beat Becker for the second time in five matches, the other victory on the same court last year.

Ivan Lendl defeated Michael Chang, 6-3, 7-6 (9-7), in the quarterfinals of the Volvo International at New Haven, Conn.

In the semifinals, Lendl will play top-seeded Stefan Edberg, who defeated Guy Forget, 6-3, 6-7 (7-3) 6-4.

MaliVai Washington advanced with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over second-seeded Goran Ivanisevic. Washington will play unseeded Fabrice Santoro, who upset defending champion Petr Korda, 7-6 (8-6) 4-6, 6-3.

A five-minute delay while Lendl argued a time-delay warning issued by chair umpire Jim Zimmerman was the turning point of the first set against Chang.

With the set tied, 3-3, and Lendl serving at deuce, he paused for a moment to towel his hand, then paused again because an airplane pulling a banner was in his line of sight. When he was ready to serve, Chang backed off and Zimmerman issued the warning.

When play resumed, Lendl served an ace and reeled off nine points to take command.

Top-ranked Monica Seles struggled with her serve and made some uncharacteristic errors but beat eighth-seeded Lori McNeil, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals of the Canadian Open at Montreal.

Second-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario of Spain scored a 6-2, 7-5 victory over seventh-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia.