TENNIS ROUNDUP : No Horseplay for Connors in Quick Rout of Stefanki

A sellout crowd turned out Thursday to see Jimmy Connors--the unofficial host of the Infiniti Champions tennis tournament--and he gave them a rousing welcome.

Top-seeded Connors routed Larry Stefanki, 6-1, 6-1, in a second-round singles match before 3,104 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

Connors, 41, joked with fans, he baited his opponent, he feigned exhaustion after long rallies. But he was all business in defeating Stefanki, 36.

Connors knows he must get to the final to keep the crowds coming and also knows a best-scenario final will pit him against old-rival and second-seeded Bjorn Borg, who plays his first match tonight at 7 against Harold Solomon.

“I’m not horsing around against anybody,” said Connors after he broke Stefanki’s serve five times in the 53-minute match. “I’m not changing my game or my attitude from what it was 15 years ago. It’s important for me to keep pace with these guys.”

Connors did more than keep pace in his first match of the second of three events on the inaugural Champions Tour for players 35 and over. Connors, who had a first-round bye, was a catalyst in starting this senior circuit and wants to see it grow. He was nearly flawless against Stefanki, committing only one unforced error in the first set while keeping Stefanki on the run with his baseline shots.

“Jimmy played better than ever,” Stefanki said. “You can’t get him out of position. He’s at another level.”

In other first-round matches, John Lloyd defeated Marty Reissen, 6-4, 6-2, and Johan Krick defeated Dick Stockton, 6-3, 6-4.