Becker baulks at headlines

Press, 3 July 1985, Page 64

Becker baulks at headlines

NZPA-AAP Wimbledon Boris Becker, the West German tennis sensation, yesterday reminded the international media that World War II ended 22 years and a half before he was born. He made it clear that he feels far from flattered by headlines describing his game as a “blitzkreig” or frequent references to him as “the General.” Asked for his feelings, Becker, aged 17, said in curt English: “I don't think it’s very good. I am a tennis player. I may be German but I am not a general.” Becker continues to go from strength to strength after winning the prestigious Queens Club title a fortnight ago and yesterday claimed his first Wimbledon seed to reach the last 16. He ousted the number seven, Joachim Nystrom, who beat John McEnroe earlier this year, 3-6, 7-6, 61, 3-6, 9-7, and showed considerable heart as well as talent in fighting back when the Swede broke twice in the final set. Becker, a professional for just a year, indicated he was still picking up the basics. “I’ve learnt that if your opponent is serving for the match that you can come back,” he said. He added that it was only his second five set match ever and he has won them both — the first beating another Swede, Stefan Edberg. Becker is nqw just three wins away from becoming the first German finalist at Wimbledon since Willy Bungert, also unseeded, who down to John Newcombe in straight sets in 1967. The Indian veteran, Vijay

Amritraj, a star of the James Bond film “Octopussy,” was another man with a golden racket at Wimbledon yesterday. The part-time actor overcame the eleventh-seeded Frenchman, Yannick Noah, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 7-6 and will bid to reach the quarter-finals for the third time against the Swiss, Heinz Gunthardt, today. Amritraj’s previous appearances in the last eight were in 1973 and 1981 when he twice lost in five sets to the eventual champions, Jan Kodes and Jimmy Connors. Australian, Elizabeth Smylie, caused the biggest upset of the tournament so far when she ousted the third seed, Hana Mandlikova, 6-1, 7-6 to reach the last 16. In the first set Smylie simply did not give Mandlikova a chance to get her game going, scoring winners all over the court. The women’s joint top seed, Chris Evert Lloyd, the French open champion, achieved a 6-2, 6-1 victory over a qualifier, Jenny Byrne, of Australia. Martina Navratilova, the other women’s top seed, had a rest day. Mandlikova was joined on the sidelines by the number 14 seed, Wendy Turnbull, of Australia, who lost, 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 to an exciting French teen-ager, Pascale Paradis. Chris Lewis made amends for his disappointing singles loss when he joined with the Australian, Brad Drewett, to beat the eleventh seeds, Francisco Gonzales, of Paraguay, and Matt Mitchell, of the United States. Lewis and Drewett lost the first set, 5-7, but came back strongly to take the next three, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Russell Simpson, also playing with an Australian, John Alexander, was less fortunate. Playing against the fourth seeded Swedes, Anders Jarryd and Stefan Edberg, they went down 2-6, 6-7, 5-7. The New Zealand women tennis doubles pair, Belinda Cordwell and Julie Richardson, could not hang on to an opportunity to cause a big upset. The young Kiwis had the fifth seeds, Barbara Potter and Sharon WalshPete, on the ropes when they served for the match at 5-2 in the final set of their first-round women’s doubles. But they dropped three service games and the experienced American pair took the set and the match, 3-6, 6-7, 7-5. Richardson (Auckland), aged 18, was on the verge of a highly successful day, after surprising with a first round 6-4, 7-5 win over the Frenchwoman, Natalie Tauziat, in the junior singles earlier in the day.