TENNIS ROUNDUP : Edberg’s Back Still a Problem in Loss to Camporese at Milan

Top-seeded Stefan Edberg, struggling with back pains, lost a second-round match to unseeded Italian Omar Camporese on Wednesday night in an $800,000 indoor tournament at Milan, Italy.

Camporese, last year’s winner in Milan but ranked 77 places behind the Swede, served well and used accurate passing shots on his way to a 7-6 (9-7), 2-6, 6-3 victory.

Edberg, No. 3 in the ATP rankings and a loser against Jim Courier in the Australian Open final last month, lost in 2 hours 25 minutes.

Edberg had obvious problems when he stretched for the ball and while serving.

“My back hurt a little bit, the same problem I experienced in Australia, and I could not play at my best,” Edberg said.

Camporese will play in the quarterfinals against the winner of today’s second-round match between seventh-seeded Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands and Sergi Bruguera of Spain.

Second-seeded Boris Becker defeated Carl-Uwe Steeb, 7-6 (7-0), 6-3, in an all-German match. Becker will play South African Wayne Ferreira.

Becker had full control of play and of his nerves in the first-set tiebreaker and broke Steeb twice, in the seventh and ninth games, in the second set.

Eighth-seeded Michael Stich showed little more than a powerful serve, but still defeated Karel Novacek, 4-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-0 in their first-round match. Novacek, who won the Dubai Open last week, seemed to lose heart after dropping the second set.

Unseeded Dave Randall wore down defending champion and No. 11-ranked MaliVai Washington, 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, in the second round of a $780,000 indoor tournament at Memphis, Tenn.

Top-ranked Jim Courier defeated Todd Woodbridge of Australia, 6-3, 6-4, and second-seeded Michael Chang downed Neil Borwick of Australia, 6-4, 7-5.

Fourth-seeded Katerina Maleeva romped to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Marianne Werdel in the second round of the Virginia Slims of Chicago.

Seventh-seed Brenda Schultz trounced Linda Harvey-Wild, 6-1, 6-2, and 15-year-old Iva Majoli overcame Tami Whitlinger, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5.