TENNIS ROUNDUP : Connors Loses First Set but Defeats 20-Year-Old

Jimmy Connors started slowly but got past Nicklas Kulti of Sweden, 1-6, 6-4, 6-0, Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Norstar Bank Hamlet Challenge Cup at Commack, N.Y.

“I was tentative at the start and I got more aggressive after losing the first set,” Connors said. “I started coming to the net and he didn’t like that.”

Seemingly worn out after one set, Connors slowly worked to draw even, breaking the 20-year-old Kulti’s serve in the third game of the second set.

Connors held service with an ace clocked at 108 m.p.h. in the sixth game, overcoming two double faults, and he produced two more aces while winning the set.

In the quarterfinals Connors will play top-seeded and second-ranked Stefan Edberg, who beat Peter Lundgren, 6-3, 6-3.

Wimbledon champion Michael Stich of Germany won the first set in 21 minutes and trounced Tomas Carbonell, 6-1, 6-2, in the second round of the OTB International at Schenectady, N.Y.

Top-seeded Anke Huber of Germany defeated Lindsay Davenport, 6-1, 7-5, in women’s play, but No. 2-seeded Julie Halard of France was beaten by Nicole Provis, also of France, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2.

Seventh-seeded Leila Meskhi of the Soviet Union ousted fourth-seeded Jana Novotna of Czechoslovakia, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, in the quarterfinals of the Virginia Slims of Washington.

In another quarterfinal, Katerina Maleeva of Bulgaria defeated Judith Weisner of Austria, 6-4, 6-2.

Jimmy Connors will play Patrick McEnroe in the first round of the U.S. Open, beginning Monday in New York.

Thursday’s draw set up opening-round matches in which eighth-seeded and last year’s runner-up Andre Agassi faces Aaron Krickstein and defending champion Pete Sampras plays Christo Van Rensburg. Top-seeded Boris Becker will open against Martin Jaite of Argentina.

The women’s draw, top-seeded Steffi Graf opens against against Andrea Temesvari of Hungary.