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.
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