Abusive Connors upsets Swedish tennis star

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 72

Abusive Connors upsets Swedish tennis star

NZPA-Reuter New York

Jimmy Connors, whose fighting spirit has made him a United States Open hero over the years, made a mockery of expectations yesterday by thrashing the world No. 3, Stefan Edberg, to reach the quarter-finals. The 37-year-old Connors, whose ability to play was in question because of severe cramps he suffered on Saturday,

also overcame a battle with officials to overwhelm Edberg 6-2, 63, 6-1.

The fiery American played the match in a rage after being hit with a game penalty by the chair umpire, Richard Ings, of Australia, for abusive language in arguing a line call. The penalty came during a changeover in the second set and put Connors be-

hind 2-0. But just as he had overtaken Edberg after a 0-2 start in the opening set, the lefthander found angles to lash stinging groundstrokes past the bewildered Swede, who never seemed able to get himself untracked.

“Two things happened tonight,” said Connors, a five-time Open champion.“l went out there and played the kind of match that everybody dreams of

playing and he played one of those matches that you don’t want in your career.”

Connors, the No. 13 seed, became the oldest Open quarter-finalist since Australian great Ken Rosewall reached the last eight in 1974 at the age of 39.

“I love playing here. I played most of the best tennis of my career here,” said Connors, who

was treated for more than two hours by doctors after suffering cramps at the end of his third-round' win over Andres Gomez, of Ecuador. Edberg was lost in a sea of winners and drowned under the waves of adulation lavished upon Connors by an enthralled Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd.“l just didn’t feel I was in the match at any time,” said Edberg, aged 23, who lost in the same

round last year to American Aaron Krickstein. Connors will have to come up with SUS22SO in fines that were levied during his second-set tirade that also brought out the tournament referee, Gayle Bradshaw and the grand prix supervisor, Ken Farrar.Connors was hit with SUSSOO for the first instance of audible obscenity, SUS7SO for the next utterance and a

further SUSIOOO for unsportsmanlike conduct Ivan Lendl, the world No. 1 and top seed, narrowly escaped an upset himself, clawing back to beat the No. 16 seed, Andrei Chesnokov, of the Soviet Union 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3 in his fourth-round match. Results: Men: 9- Tim Mayotte (U 5. bt 7- Michael Chang (U.S.) 75, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3; 6- Andre Agassi (U.S.) bt Jim Grabb

(U 5. 6-1, 7-5, 6-3; I- Ivan Lendl (Czech) bt 16- Andrei Chesnokov (Soviet Union) 6-3, 4-6, 1-6, 6-4, 6-3; 13- Jimmy Connors (U.S.) bt 3- Stefan Edberg (Sweden) 6-2, 6-3, 6-1. Women: 1- Steffi Graf (W. Germ) bt Rosalyn Fairbank (S. Africa) 6-4, 6-1; 8- Helena Sukova (Czech.) bt Larisa Savchenko (Soviet Union) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2; 3- Gabriela Sabatini (Arg.) bt 15- Conchita Martinez (Spain) 6-1, 6-1; 6Arantxa Sanchez Vicario (Spain) bt Barbara Paulus (Austria) 6-2, 6-2.