TENNIS ROUNDUP : Becker, Stich, Edberg Win on Grass

Three former Wimbledon champions--Stefan Edberg of Sweden and Germans Boris Becker and Michael Stich--advanced to the quarterfinals with victories Thursday at the Queen’s Club grass-court championships at London.

Second-seeded Edberg turned back a third-set challenge from 15th-seeded Richey Reneberg to win, 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2.

Becker defeated 14th-seeded Frenchman Guillaume Raoux, 6-4, 6-4, in 80 minutes and Stich eliminated 12th-seeded David Wheaton, 6-4, 6-3.

Edberg defeated Reneberg for the sixth time in seven meetings but did not gain control until he came back from 40-0 to break serve and take a 3-1 lead in the final set.

“It doesn’t hurt to play three sets,” Edberg said. “Since I am not playing next week, every match going into Wimbledon is a bonus. I am enjoying playing on grass and moving well.”

Becker will face Stich in the quarterfinals today.

“It will be a good test,” Becker said. “A match like this will tell me where I am, how much I need to improve or how well I am playing.”

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Former champion Pam Shriver found some of her old magic, recovering from a break down in the final set to defeat Mana Endo of Japan, 4-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, in the women’s grass-court championships at Edgbaston, England.

The seventh-seeded Shriver, who won the event from 1984-87, fell behind in the third set, 3-1, but fought back to win on her first match point.

“I’m grateful I dug this match out,” Shriver said. “This is the kind of player on grass I would have chewed up and spat out a few years ago.”

Second-seeded South African Amanda Coetzer joined Martina Navratilova on the sidelines after losing, 7-6 (7-1), 6-2, to 15th-seeded Chanda Rubin.

Nathalie Tauziat of France, seeded third, moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Claire Wegink of the Netherlands.

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Second-seeded Emilio Sanchez of Spain made short work of Horacio De La Pena during the second round of the City of Florence tournament at Florence, Italy, defeating the Argentine, 6-0, 6-2.

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Second-seeded Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands defeated Patrick McEnroe, 6-4, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the Rosmalen Grass Court tournament at Rosmalen, Netherlands.