Tough draw to reach final

Press, 16 June 1988, Page 52

Tough draw to reach final

NZPA-Reuter London Pat Cash to face Boris Becker with the winner meeting the world No. 1, Ivan Lendl — and that is all just for a place in the final. That was the intriguing prospect thrown up by the Wimbledon draw as Cash and Becker, who in most people’s estimation would provide a dream final, were left to clash instead in the quarter-finals. It comes about because, based bn their world rankings, the defending champion, Cash, was seeded fourth with Becker, the 1985 and 1986 champion, two slots below him in the seedings. But few would argue they are the two best players in the world on grass.

Though Cash bowed out early at last . week’s Queen’s Club tournament which Becker went on to win, they are still the joint Wimbledon favourites in the opinion of London bookmakers.

Neither has anything to fear before their appointed meeting on Wednesday, June 29, in a quarter-final which could produce the eventual tournament champion. Lendl, meanwhile, faces a rougher road to the semi-finals where he would face the survivor of the Cash-Becker tie. The American-based Czechoslovak, chasing the title he has never won, must clear a few obstacles in the early stages. The first, in round two, is Darren Cahill, the Aus-

tralian who showed his grass court credentials at Queen’s last week by beating Cash and the 1985 Wimbledon finalist, Kevin Curren, in successive rounds.

His first seeded opponent should be No. 15, Amos Mansdorf, of Israel, which would be a prelude to his projected quarterfinal against the No. 7 seed, Henri Leconte, of France.

The cavalier Frenchman, who beat Lendl at Wimbledon in 1985, has shown a return to top form this year after a string of injuries last year and earlier in 1988. He reached the French Open final this month. Meanwhile, down in the bottom quarter, the 26-

year-old New Zealand No. 1, Kelly Evernden, has as good a draw as he could hope for in the first two rounds, scheduled to meet France’s Jerome Potier first up then either the Dutchman, Menno Oosting or a qualifier. But the going will be tougher for Evernden if he lasts to when the time comes to whittle the drawn down to the last 16 on the Wimbledon lawns. Looming up as a likely third round clash is New Zealand’s Evernden versus Sweden’s Mats Wilander — the world No. 52 against the current French and Australian Open champion who goes out hunting for his third Grand Slam title this year from the second seed’s slot.