Connors welcomed

Press, 18 May 1989, Page 48

Connors welcomed

NZPA-Reuter Rome The teen-age girls prefer the blond idol, Andre Agassi, but for the mums and dads at the Italian Open tennis championships Jimmy Connors is an old friend to welcome back after a 14-year absence. ; Connors, who has based himself in Europe for the clay court season, says he is’j in Italy to have fun — ap aim he should achieve when he teams up with feilow’-veteran Hie Wastage, for the doubles. but Connors, aged 36, has more serious hopes in the, singles as well, using this t week’s $1 ‘ million tournament as a warm-up for d the French Open whith starts !on. May 29. After ' disappointments in i recent weeks, the

former world No. 1 started easily enough yesterday, serving well to dispatch a French qualifier; Cedric Pioline, 6-4, 62 in little more than an hour. “If I have one, not regret, but maybe a flaw in my scheduling in the. past years it was not coming over and playing three, four or five weeks on clay before ~ the French,” said Connors whose last Italian appearance was in the doubles in 1975. “: V.To come back to Rome after so many years is exCiting for.: me,]’ added Connors, who has won a record 107 grand, prix singles titles but f never made f the final of the French or Italian Opens.

Meanwhile, the top seed, Mats Wilander, battling himself as much as his opponent, clawed back from one set down against unseeded Argentine Javier. Frana to reach the second round. The Swede, hit by a slump in form since he swept to three Grand Slam titles in 1988, lost the first, set on a tiebreak and was 1-3 down to Frana in the second before he revived to win 6-7, 6-3,6-2. - Wilander, whose world ranking has fallen from one to four since his United States Open victory last September, took more than two hours to defeat an opponent ranked 116 places below him.