Stich Is Second to Becker, and Draper

This is no way to catch Boris Becker.

Michael Stich, inexorably regarded as second-best in Germany behind national hero Becker, lost in the first round of the Infiniti Open, on Tuesday, to Australia’s Scott Draper, 6-3, 6-4.

Stich, ranked No. 14, was fourth-seeded in the tournament and also the defending champion. Draper, ranked 93rd in the world, did not even have a computer ranking until October, 1994.

“No excuses. I played a terrible match and he didn’t play much better,” Stich said.

Stich couldn’t help mentioning that he has been bothered recently by a sore shoulder.

“I was not able to reach up as high as I wanted and for that reason I pulled down on my serves a little bit,” he said.

Having lost the first set, Stich double-faulted twice to start the second and fell behind, 30-40, before serving an ace for deuce. But then Stich hit a shot long and another into the net to give the game away.

Stich broke back in the next game then squandered six game-point opportunities and saved two break points before serving an ace to take a 2-1 lead. At that point, Stich held his arms in the air as if he had just won the match.

Tied, 3-3, Draper again broke serve after Stich sent an approach shot into the net and Draper held serve to go ahead, 5-3. Stich gave up just one point in the next game but it was too late.

Draper saved two break points before sending a forehand across the court. Stich reached the ball with his backhand but couldn’t get it over the net.

Stich congratulated Draper afterward, telling him, “I don’t think I can say we played well, but I wish [you] good luck.”

Draper’s biggest claim to fame was a fourth-round appearance in the French Open last year--a performance that had his fax machine buzzing and his head spinning.

“All of a sudden people I haven’t talked to in 15 years are starting to call me,” Draper said. “I started to feel like ‘the next this’ and ‘the next that.’ ”

The pressure affected him and when he couldn’t duplicate the performance, he began to question his abilities. Slowly, Draper recovered, and he advanced to the fourth round of the French Open last month, where he lost to Pete Sampras.

“Today makes me feel really good about myself and my game, especially the score line,” Draper said.

It was Draper’s first victory over a player ranked in the top 20.

Stich won Wimbledon in 1991 and was runner-up at the U.S. Open in 1994 but was plagued with injuries over the last two years. An ankle injury forced him to miss the final three tournaments of last year as well as three months this year. The time off gave him ample time for soul searching.

“The tennis career could have been over for me. You realize that it just takes a second,” he said. “I realized I have to go on the court and play for the enjoyment I have with the sport.”

One man who is probably enjoying himself on the court immensely is Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek.

In his first match since winning Wimbledon, Krajicek stumbled slightly but came back to defeat Jan Kroslak, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

“[It’s] back to real life,” Krajicek said. “You have to start all over again. I knew that. I was prepared for it.”

Krajicek, who has the fastest serve on the ATP Tour, served 25 aces but had 12 double faults and made just 50% of his first serves.

“I couldn’t really depend on my serve but I ran and I fought and I gave it everything I had,” he said.

Krajicek won the Los Angeles tournament in 1992 and 1993 and is seeded second this year behind Michael Chang.

In other matches, third-seeded Thomas Enqvist defeated USC’s Cecil Mamiit, 6-7 (1-7), 6-2, 6-3.

Mamiit this spring became the first freshman to win an NCAA title since John McEnroe in 1978.

Also, sixth-seeded Stefan Edberg defeated Steven Downs, 6-2, 6-4. Downs replaced Stephane Simian, who withdrew from the tournament for medical reasons.