Graf Overpowers Her Foe in Opening Round

MELBOURNE, Australia —  After losing to defending champion Steffi Graf 6-2, 6-1 in the first round of the Australian Open, 16-year-old Kerry-Anne Guse was asked to pick the highlight of her match.

“Winning my first game,” she said.

Guse was not kidding. After Graf won the first eight points of today’s match, it seemed like a shutout was a real possibility. After all, the Australian Guse was playing in only her second senior tournament while Graf was opening her bid for a fifth consecutive Grand Slam title.

It’s a common feeling among Graf’s opponents. The West German has become so dominant that her early-round victims are often grateful to win a few games.

Guse managed to win two straight games after falling behind 3-0 in the first set. Then Graf got serious, blasting winners all over center court and overpowering her inexperienced foe in 43 minutes.

Difficulty for Wilander

The defending men’s champion, Mats Wilander, had a more difficult time winning his opening-round match. The world’s No. 1 player struggled for more than three hours before beating Swedish countryman Tobias Svantesson 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

“I was not pleased with the way I played, but I’m pleased with the way it turned out,” Wilander said.

Wilander, who won three of the four Grand Slam events last year, said he remained confident even after losing the fourth set.

Wilander has struggled since taking over the No. 1 ranking last September at the U.S. Open. He failed to make the semifinals at the Masters, lost to Carl-Uwe Steeb in the Davis Cup final against West Germany and was beaten by John McEnroe in an exhibition match last week.

‘Hard to Motivate Myself’

“It was hard to motivate myself after the U.S. Open,” Wilander said. “After that final, it didn’t seem like anything else mattered very much.”

Two seeds were eliminated on opening day. Jan Gunnarsson of Sweden upset No. 6 Henri Leconte of France 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 and American Elise Burgin ousted No. 11 women’s seed Sylvia Hanika of West Germany 6-3, 6-1.