Becker’s serve finishes Noah

Press, 8 September 1989, Page 40

Becker’s serve finishes Noah

NZPA-Reuter New York The Wimbledon tennis champion, Boris Becker, blasted past Yannick Noah and into the United States Open semi-finals yesterday.

Using a booming serve, the No. 2 seed, Becker, 1 routed the unseeded Frenchman 6-3, 6-3, 6-2 in under two hours. Earlier, a rematch of last year’s U.S. Open final was set up for one of today’s women’s semifinals when the defending champion and the top seed, Steffi Graf, of West' Germany and her doubles partner, third-seeded Argentine Gabriela Sabatini, both advanced. In his second trip to the U.S. Open semi-finals, to be played tomorrow, Becker will face Aaron Krickstein, of the United States, who reached his first grand slam semifinal. “That was probably my best match in my five years here,” said Becker., “I don’t think I made anyi easy mistakes and that isf what it takes to beat Yannick Noah 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.” Said Noah: “It takes two guys to play a great match and today he was playing pretty much out there by himself.” Becker had only three

aces but still was untouchable on his serve. He lost just 11 points on his serve. 1 “His serve was much too fast for me. There was no way I could return it,” said Noah, who lost his serve once in the first set and twice in each of the last two sets. Krickstein, seeded No. 14, advanced when com-’ patriot Jay Berger, seeded No. 11, was forced to quit, in the second game of the fourth set with cramps in the left leg. “He is usually fitter, than that. I was surprised,” said Krickstein, a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 1-0 winner. “He was running a lot but it was not that hot. I wasn’t winded at all on any of the long rallies.” Said Berger: “It would have been absolutely stupid to continue. I was, unable to run and every time I was running I was. getting cramps. There was no way I could have completed the match.” The other men’s semifinal pairing will be determined today. In a clash of

youth and age, 19-year-old Andre Agassi meets 37-year-old Jimmy Connors in an all-Americar duel. Last year the No. 6 seed Agassi, whipped tie No. 13 seed, Connors, in thei quarter-finals. The other men’s quar-[ ter-final features the top seed, Czechoslovak Ivan Lendl, against the No. 9| seed, American Tim Mayotte. In 13 . career matches, Lendl has never, lost to Mayotte. \ Sabatini took control midway through the middle set to beat the No. 6 seed, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, the French Open champion, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. “I’m looking forward to paying Steffi,” said Sabatini. “It’s a good match to see how I’m doing, to see if I’ve really improved. I’m eager to play her.” It was routine as always l for Graf, the Wimbledon and Australian Open champion, as she routed the No. 8 seed, Czechoslovak Helena Sukova, 6-1, 6-1 in less than an hour. Her five victories here have taken a total of just

four hours 11 minutes. The other women’s semi-final features an allAmerican match-up between the No. 2 seed, Martina Navratilova and the No. 5 seed, Zina Garrison, who ended Chris Evert’s grand slam career on Wednesday. Results:— Women’s singles, quarterfinals: 1-Steffi Graf (West Germany) beat 8-Helena Sukova (Czechoslovakia) 6-1 6-1; 3-Gabriela Sabatini (Argentia) beat 6-Arantxa Sarchez 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Men’s singles, quarterfinals: 14-Aaron Krickstein (U.S.) beat 11-Jay Berger (U.S.) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, 1-0 retired; 2- Becker (West Germany) beat Yannick Noah (France) 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Women’s doubles, quarterfinals: 6-Martina Navratolova (U.S.)/Hana Mandlikova (Australia) beat 13-Jenny Byrne/Janine Thompson (Australia) 6-1, 6-3. Men’s doubles, semi-finals: 4-Ken Flach/Robert Seguso (U.S.) beat 2-John Fitzgerald (Australia)/Anders Jarryd (Sweden) 6-3, 6-3, 7-5; 7-John McEnroe (U.S.)/Mark Woodforde (Australia) beat 6-Paul Annacone (U.S.)/Christo van Rensburg (South Africa) 6-3, 3- 6-3, 6-3.