TENNIS ROUNDUP : Becker Wins, but Lendl Loses

Top-seeded Boris Becker beat an onrushing thunderstorm and moved into the quarterfinals of the $1.3-million ATP Championship at Mason, Ohio, by eliminating Malivai Washington, 6-4, 6-4, Thursday.

Defending champion Stefan Edberg and U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras also advanced, but third-seeded Ivan Lendl fell to No. 14 Derrick Rostagno, 7-6, 3-5, 6-3, at the Jack Nicklaus Sports Center near Cincinnati.

Edberg, the No. 2-seeded player, defeated Amos Mansdorf, 6-1, 6-2, and Sampras, seeded seventh, defeated Wayne Ferreira, 6-1, 6-4.

“With the lightning, maybe it wasn’t the best idea that the announcer said I was serving at 6-4, 5-4 and the storm was coming in about 10 minutes,” Becker said.

“The pressure was already high and it makes it even higher--hurry up, get out of the way.”

French Open champion Jim Courier ousted Michael Chang, 7-5, 6-2, before an evening deluge washed out the match between fifth-seeded Andre Agassi and No. 12 Brad Gilbert.

Lendl said his season has been disappointing, and he is probably been playing below par because he hasn’t been playing enough.

“I’ve always needed to play quite a bit,” he said. “I missed four months and didn’t play.

“And look what happened to some of the guys that took some time off before,” such as John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.

Lendl, whose only two tournament victories this year came in February, had surgery in May for fibrosis on his right hand, which then became infected.

“I was lucky to stay in the first set,” Rostagno said. “I had some good serves and volleys at the right times, I guess, but I was struggling in the beginning.”

But he said he has gained enough confidence not to fear a match against a Lendl or other top-rated player.

“I’m sure that on a good day I can beat anyone, whereas I used to have doubts and would try to force myself to have a better day than I conceivably could bring out of myself,” Rostagno said.

“That’s probably the difference. That’s why every time I go out on the court now, especially against a top player, I’m not going to give the match away by trying to play too well. I’m going to go ahead and make the play.”

Second-seeded Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere of Switzerland and her sister, Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria, advanced to within one win apiece of a semifinal matchup in the $600,000 Player’s Ltd. Challenge at Toronto.

Katerina, seeded fourth, beat No. 12 Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan, 6-1, 6-3, and Manuela, at 24 two years older than Katerina, beat 16th-seeded Regina Rajchrtova of Czechoslovakia, 6-1, 6-2.

Third-seeded Jennifer Capriati beat Sara Gomer of England, 6-2, 6-3; ninth-seeded Natalia Zvereva of the Soviet Union defeated Jolene Watanabe, 7-6 (7-2), 6-0, and Laura Gildemeister of Peru upset fifth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat of France, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

Top-seeded Julie Halard routed fellow Frenchwoman Noelle Van Lottum, 6-1, 6-1, at the Virginia Slims of Albuquerque.

Second-seeded Gigi Fernandez defeated Halle Cioffi, 6-4, 7-5; fourth-seeded Susan Sloane beat Tamaka Takagi of Japan, 7-5, 6-4, and sixth-seeded Elna Reinach of South Africa defeated Alexia Dechaume of France, 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.

Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks will officially open its state-of-the-art tennis facility Saturday at 2 p.m.

The facility’s board of directors will cut the ribbon to the facility, which includes eight hard courts, four clay courts, and three grass courts. The ceremony is open only to members.

“We believe it’s the finest tennis facility in the country,” said pro Roscoe Tanner, who is the director of tennis at Sherwood.