Becker clears first U.S. Open hurdle

Press, 30 August 1989, Page 33

Becker clears first U.S. Open hurdle

NZPA-Reuter New York Boris Becker cleared his first hurdle and had another potential stumbling block removed yesterday at the United States Open tennis championships. Becker, the three-time Wimbledon champion, trounced American David Pate 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 in his opening match at Louis Armstrong Stadium as he began a campaign to win his first Grand Slam title on a surface other than grass.

“He attacks a lot, so to lose only five games is pretty good," the West German said after his 98min victory.

A few hours earlier Becker’s dreaded nemesis, Brad Gilbert, disappeared from his quarter of the draw without the carrot-topped Wimbledon winner having to raise a racket.

The eighth-seeded Gilbert, suffering from an upset stomach and diarrhoea, was sent home for a rest by unseeded Todd Witsken who kept pounding groundstrokes past his beleagured fellow-Ameri-can for a 4-6, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

Becker, for one, was happy to see Gilbert go as he had lost four out of five times to him and was seeded to meet him in the quarter-finals. The West German, however, kept his perspective. “To win you have to win seven matches. I’ve won one. That’s all I can say,” he said.

Gilbert, who entered the

Open as the hottest player on the men’s circuit with three straight tournament titles, became the only seed to fall in a hectic opening day schedule.

Leading a parade of favourites into the second round were the defending champions, Steffi Graf and Mats Wilander, along with the fourth seed, John McEnroe, a four-time Open champion.

The rest of the first-round matches were scheduled for today with the world No. 1, Ivan Lendl and women’s stars Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert facing their opening tests.

Graf and Wilander were straight-set winners on a muggy, overcast day at the National Tennis Centre. Graf beat Etsuko Inoue, of Japan, 6-3, 6-1; Wilander despatched the No. 29-ranked Austrian, Horst Skoff, 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 and McEnroe swept by France’s Eric Winogradsky 6-1, 6-4, 64.

Women: 1-Steffi Graf (West Germany) bt Etsuko Inoue (Japan) 6-3, 6-1; Camille Benjamin (U.S.) beat Andrea Vieira (Brazil) 6-2, 6-2; Nathalie Herreman (France) bt Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (West Germany) 6-4, 6-0; Ann Grossman (U.S.) bt Dinky van Rensburg (South Africa) 6-4, 6-1; Angeliki Kanellopoulou (Greece) bt Sara Gomer (Britain) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3; 5-Zina Garrison (U.S.) bt Radka Zrubakova (Czechoslovakia) 6-2, 6-1; 13-Natalia Zvereva (Soviet Union) bt Pascale

Paradis (France) 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5); 15-Conchita Martinez (Spain) bt Sandra Birch (U.S.) 6-3, 6-2; 12-Monica Seles (Yugoslavia) bt Ann Henricksson (U.S.) 4-6, 6-2, 62; 7-Manuela Maleeva (Bulgaria) bt Marianne Werdel (U.S.) 6-4, 6-3. Men: Todd Witsken (U.S.) bt 8-Brad Gilbert (U.S.) 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; Amos Mansdorf (Israel) bt Gianluca Pozzi (Italy) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-3; 5- Wilander (Sweden) bt Horst Skoff (Austria) 6-1, 6-3, 6- Mikael Pernfors (Sweden) bt Steve Bryan (U.S.) 1-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-1; 14-Aaron Krickstein (U.S.) bt Richard Matuszewski (U.S.) 6-3, 6-2, 6-4; Wally Masur (Australia) bt Jim Pugh (U.S.) 5-7, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (12-10); 4-John McEnroe (U.S.) bt Eric Winogradsky (France) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4; 10Alberto Mancini (Argentina) bt Jonathan Canter (U.S.) 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; Jaime Yzaga (Peru) beat Slobodan Zivojinovic (Yugoslavia) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2; Vannick Noah (France) beat Joey Rive (U.S.) 6-3, 6-2, 6-2; Paul Haarhuir (Netherlands) leads KELLY EVERNDEN (New Zealand) 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, 7-6 (72) (play suspended because of darkness); Miloslav Mecir (Czechoslovakia) beat Leonardo Lavalie (Mexico) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; 2-Boris Becker (West Germany) bt David Pate (U.S.) 6-1, 6-3,-Q; 1; Mark Woodforde (Australia) bt Tomas Carbonell (Spain) 6-0, 6-2, 5-7, 6-2.