Becker youngest in finals since Borg

Press, 4 July 1985, Page 40

Becker youngest in finals since Borg

NZPA-Reuter London Boris Becker, of West Germany, yesterday became the youngest Wimbledon men’s tennis quarter-finalist since Bjorn Borg reached the last eight in 1973. Borg was 17 years 22 days old when he lost to Britain’s Roger Taylor in five sets. He was eight months younger than the West German prodigy who has become the sensation of the 1985 Wimbledon championships. Becker earned a quarterfinal place against the Frenchman Henri Leconte, who removed the second favourite, Ivan Lendl in four sets, when he overcame the No. 16 seed, Tim Mayotte,

of the United States 6-3, 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, in three hours 34 minutes of power tennis.

While the match did not appeal to the purists out on court 14, the raw power of Becker was awesome. Becker’s fans endured a moment of torment with Mayotte serving at 30-15 in the twelfth game of the fourth set when the West German crashed to the grass clutching his left leg. But the West German recovered, won the fourth set tiebreak, 7-5, then received treatment before the start of the final set which he played with a ankle taped. The drama appeared to unsettle Mayotte and the American was never the same force again.

Leconte, a gifted French left-hander, sent Lendl of Czechoslovakia crashing out of the Wimbledon tennis championships with a 3-6, 64, 6-3, 6-1, upset. It was the finest win of the powerful, broad-should-ered Frenchman’s career. The victories by Leconte and Becker ensured that the men’s event will have an unseeded semi-finalist for the ninth successive year. The defending champions, John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova, cantered to victory and the thirdseeded, Jimmy Conners, also strolled through with a 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. win over the unseeded American, Sam Giammalva.