Field Headed by Connors and Borg

Jimmy Connors dominated the hard courts. Bjorn Borg reigned on grass and clay. And when Connors and Borg played one another in championship matches, they followed form.

Connors defeated Borg in 1976 and ’78 for two of his five U.S. Open titles. Borg stopped Connors in 1977 and ’78 en route to five consecutive Wimbledon championships.

Now, 15 years since they played those 1978 matches for world audiences, Connors and Borg could meet again--this time at Thousand Oaks’ Sherwood Country Club--in the final of the Infiniti Champions senior tournament, which begins today.

Connors is top seeded in this, the second of three stops on the tour for former top pros 35 and over. Borg is No. 2. Connors beat Borg, 7-6, 6-3, in the final of the first tournament, Big Bear Champions at Columbus, Ohio, last month.

“He’s worked hard on his game,” Connors said of Borg. “He’s in excellent condition and getting used to using the wide-body racket. I know it’s going to take all the work ethic I can muster to beat him.”

Connors and Borg have first-round byes but Sherwood teaching pro Roscoe Tanner will play Harold Solomon and Vijay Amritraj will play Larry Stefanki in first-round matches tonight at 7.