THE exit signs flashed for another great Wimbledon champion yesterday.

Stefan Edberg, of Sweden, twice the title winner and currently No.3

seed, joined Michael Stich and Steffi Graf in the spectators' box. He

was beaten in a fiercely fought, second-round tie on a baking Centre

Court by the 21-year-old Dane, Kenneth Carlsen, ranked No.113 in the

world.

At least Edberg competed to the finish. The bulk of the crowd were on

his side -- he is an adopted Brit having bought a house just up the

road. Father Time was not.

The truth is, although he is only 28, Edberg is not the man he was. In

particular his service has become unreliable; his back troubles him; he

was knocked out in the first round of the French earlier this year.

Carlsen, described on radio as Carlsberg -- a piece of wishful

thinking on a hot day, no doubt -- is a blond, 6ft 3in. left-hander who

bangs down his service at 115mph. He has never gone further than the

third round but now represents a threat to anyone.

Their match had begun on Wednesday night when Edberg took the opening

set in a tie-break. But it was obvious from the start yesterday that he

was going to have trouble with the drainpipe Dane.

Yet it was the Swede, dressed in a strange tartan trim which made him

look like a packet of shortbread, who squeaked the second set on another

tie-break before Carlsen, growing in confidence, took the next two.

In the decider the Dane moved smoothly to 5-3 and had five match

points in the ninth game. Edberg, pouncing at the net, saved the lot. On

Carlsen's next serve, however, he did not win a point, and a drop shot

finished him off.

The ever-courteous Edberg admitted: ''That was a tough one. I felt I

had my chances but I let him off the hook. It hurts to go out of this

tournament because it is the greatest in the world. I still feel there

is another championship in me.''

Carlsen explained that his first love had been soccer. He had switched

to tennis when he was nine after his father had taken up the game.

''That was, without doubt, the greatest victory of my career,'' he

said. ''With so many top guys going out, the tournament is now very

open.''

But the real slug-out in the sun, the most extraordinary match of the

day, was a marathon between French Open champion Sergi Bruguera, of

Spain, and the man they dub the new Pat Cash, Australian Pat Rafter.

It was claimed Bruguera had avoided Wimbledon for three years and

could not play on grass. The former may have been true, the latter was

absurd.

Sergi smiled a lot, even when he had four match points against him. He

saved all of them and broke Rafter's serve to lead 12-11 in the final

set.

A whiplash forehand from Bruguera left Rafter speadeagled on the court

and he looked seriously hurt. But he hobbled up only to lose the game to

love.

Scottish umpire John Frame was looking pretty tanned by the end.

Bruguera said he had only played three games on grass. ''But I am

improving -- yes? Sometimes you need a little luck and I had it out

there today.'' He made his own as well. The spectators gave both players

a standing ovation, thoroughly merited.

American Bryan Shelton, conqueror of Stich, admitted he was mentally

drained when he went out to face the Moroccan, Karim Alami. He won the

first two sets but dropped the next pair, ultimately sending Karim on

the road to Morocco with a 6-2 win in the decider.

''Don't even tell me who I have to face next,'' pleaded Shelton.

* ARANTXA Sanchez Vicario reached the third round in the women's

event. The No.2 seed, who has never progressed beyond the

quarter-finals, disposed of Argentine Maria Jose Gaidano in less than

under an hour.

Two other women's seeds progessed against Argentinians. Thirteenth

seed Zina Garrison-Jackson overcame Mercedes Paz and Helena Sukova,

seeded No.17, beat Patricia Tarabini 6-4, 6-2.