Swedish tennis party ruined

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 40

Swedish tennis party ruined

NZPA-Reuter Gothenburg, Sweden West Germany made off with the Davis Cup to spoil a carefully-prepared Swedish party at the week-end when Boris Becker and Eric Jelen came back from two sets down to clinch victory by winning the double?. Becker and Jelen’s 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-3 6-2 win over Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd, after z two singles victories, gave' West Germany an Unbeatable 3-0 lead in the .five-match final and a historic victory in the Cup for the first time. The holder, Sweden, ap-

pearing in its sixth successive final, had been expected to retain it with ease and record a fourth triumph in five years, particularly as it had the choice of venue.

It picked Gothenburg, where it has won two previous finals, and laid its favourite indoor clay court especially for the event. But after Carl-Uwe Steeb, ranked No. 74 in the world, beat the world No. 1, Mats Wilander, from two sets down in the opening singles and Becker followed by whipping the Wimbledon champion Edberg in straight sets, the Swedish

pair had an uphill battle.

They began well, breaking Jelen twice and Becker once — ,on a double fault — in the opening two sets and Swedish prospects of staying in the final looked bright. But no sooner had Swedish hopes been raised than they were dashed again. Just as Steeb silenced the chanting Swedish fans in the 11,000-strong crowd by overcoming a two-set deficit, so Becker and Jelen were suddenly rejuvenated.

The result was sweet revenge for West Ger-

many, beaten 3-2 in Munich by Sweden in the final three years ago. Its< only other appearance in a final ended in 5-0 defeat by the United States in 1970 but this year West Germany, spearheaded as always by Masters champion Becker, has been in invincible form.

Becker said victory had surpassed even his two Wimbledon triumphs. “We beat Sweden away on clay by 3-0 and that makes it very special,” he said. “For me to win the Davis Cup is an all-time high. It even beats Wimbledon because in this event it is a full year of play.”