TENNIS AUSTRALIAN OPEN : Stich Turns Up the Power; Edberg Injures Back

Michael Stich, aided by rain that turned his losing effort outdoors into a victory indoors, capped a 22-ace show today with the fastest serve of the Australian Open--131 m.p.h.

Second-seeded Stefan Edberg, meanwhile, underwent therapy for a “serious” back injury that forced him to default from doubles and may cause him to pull out of singles on Monday.

Edberg’s back spasms made him wince in pain on overheads and affected his serves during a tough third-round victory over Amos Mansdorf.

Stich, the 1991 Wimbledon champion trying to recover his form after falling to No. 14, was losing, 7-6, 3-2, to Kenneth Carlsen when the rain hit.

When they resumed, under the stadium’s sliding roof, Stich gained an advantage as the stronger serve-and-volley player on an indoor court. Balls move faster on this rubberized hard surface indoors, and Stich quickly turned around the match, winning, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4, 6-4, 6-0.

“The last two sets I played my best tennis in a while,” said Stich, who ended the match with that 131-m.p.h. ace.

Steffi Graf, displaying impeccable timing, beat the rain by a few minutes as she defeated Magdalena Maleeva in straight sets to reach the quarters.

The second-seeded Graf’s last shot, a perfect backhand drop that Maleeva couldn’t reach, came just before the showers and ended a 6-3, 6-3 victory that set up a quarterfinal match against Jennifer Capriati or Maleeva’s older sister, Magdalena.

No. 10 Mary Pierce, playing better than ever now that she is traveling away from her father and coach, Jim Pierce, breezed into the quarterfinals with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over error-prone Gigi Fernandez.

Pierce’s father was the target of a recently adopted rule by the WTA to censure family members and coaches who create disturbances at tournaments. The rule was passed after Pierce repeatedly berated his daughter and her opponents and threatened a reporter researching a story on him.

Pierce, who turned 18 nine days ago, has turned away most questions about her father, saying he didn’t come here because he is afraid of flying. Instead, she is traveling with her mother, and still talks to her father a couple of times a day.

“I go out with the same strategy every match, but he gives me a pep talk,” Pierce said. “What he does on the side of the court doesn’t bother me, so it’s about the same.”