TEAMTENNIS : Familiar Scene: Strings Fall to Newport Beach

The only suspense for the 2,712 spectators at the Forum on Saturday night was this: How would Bjorn Borg wear his hair and how many autographs would he sign after the game?

The match seemed a foregone conclusion.

The Strings, who lost Friday on the last point of a supertiebreaker, were confronted by a familiar result: a loss, this time, 30-16, to the undefeated Newport Beach Dukes.

The Strings (0-6) lost all five sets.

After Borg signed autographs, he posed for pictures with Duke players Trevor Kronemann and Rikard Bergh.

Both grew up idolizing him and both helped put away him--and the Strings.

“It was great to get a chance to play with him. He was the best in the world,” Kronemann said.

Kronemann, a 6-foot-3, 225-pound doubles specialist, teamed with Katrina Adams to win mixed doubles, 6-4; he teamed with Bergh to beat Borg, 6-3, in men’s singles; and he teamed with Bergh to defeat Borg and String player/coach Larry Stefanki in men’s doubles.

“Borg’s the hero,” Bergh said. “But if you think it’s him out there, you won’t do well.”

In men’s singles, Bergh took on Borg, a matchup of two players from Sweden. Borg had inspired Bergh to adopt the two-handed backhand.

Bergh, 27, is left-handed, wears his hair short and eschews headbands.

The Swede matchup was short-lived. Bergh left with a stiff shoulder and was replaced at 2-2 by Kronemann.

Using a booming serve, Kronemann made quick work of Borg.

The closest the Strings came to winning a set was when Kimberly Po took Adams to a tiebreaker before losing, 6-5 (5-2).

And finally, the answer to the hair question: Borg wore it ponytailed in warm-ups, tucked behind a headband during the match.