Connors’ Return to Glory

Even after all these years, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors can still create a lot of excitement on a tennis court. It has been 17 years since Borg and Connors last met in a Grand Slam tournament, and Saturday’s match brought those memories back.

Borg’s passing shots, Connors’ flat and penetrating ground strokes and plenty of long, exhausting rallies gave the 4,458 at Newport Beach’s Palisades Tennis Club two hours of sheer pleasure. In the end, Connors outlasted Borg, as he usually does on the senior tour, 3-6, 7-6 (7-1), 6-1, in the semifinals of The Challenge.

“That’s the way we’ve played every match we’ve ever played,” Connors said. “Even on the grass at Wimbledon, we’ve had rallies like that, points like that.”

Things have changed as the two have aged. Connors, 45, has won 14 of 16 on the Nuveen Tour, including nine after Borg had taken the first set. Borg, 42, was remembered for his classic two-handed backhand and his well-placed baseline passing shots. But he came out serving and volleying and chipping and charging.

Connors looked stunned.

Several times in the early going, Connors looked across to Borg and said, “Who is this guy?” After Borg won a long rally by forcing Connors to run all over the court, Connors tossed his racket toward the net and put his hand over his heart.

Borg won the first set in 35 minutes, then broke Connors’ serve to go up, 2-1. But Connors won the next three games before Borg forced a tiebreaker. Connors dominated the tiebreaker, thanks in part to some generosity from Borg.

The chair umpire, Jim Flood, overruled the linesman and called a forehand volley by Connors long. Borg disagreed and said the ball was in. The point was replayed and Connors won it to take a 4-0 lead.

Connors was asked if he would have done the same thing for Borg.

“That’s what this tour is all about,” Connors said. “If we can’t call our own balls now, after everything we’ve been through. . . . “

Connors said he might have reacted differently had incident happened while he was playing the ATP tour.

“Twenty years ago, I’d have jerked that guy out of the chair and I’m not kidding you,” Connors said. “We’ve all been to the top. Now we want to do what we do in a fair way.”

Connors will play John McEnroe in the final today at 11 a.m., and Borg will play Yannick Noah for third place.