Mayotte, Lendl in final

Press, 3 February 1986, Page 44

Mayotte, Lendl in final

NZPA-Reuter Philadelphia Ivan Lendl, of Czechoslovakia, and Tim Mayotte (U.S.), battled back with hard-fought, threeset victories yesterday to gain the final of the $U5375,000 Pro Indoor tennis championships. The top-seeded Lendl, ranked No. 1 in the world, lost a set for the first time in eight matches but managed to fend off the stubborn challenge of the eleventh seed, Brad Gilbert (U.S.) 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, in two hours and 42 minutes. Lendl was severely pushed by the 24-year-old Gilbert, who changed his usual baseline style to one of aggressive netrushing, but the energy needed to constantly attack the net began to take its toll on Gilbert in the final set. The seventh-seeded Mayotte, ranked No. 12 in the world, beat the fourth seed, Yannick Noah, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4, in the other semi-final. For Mayotte, who beat Noah in the opening round of the Masters, it was his second straight victory over the Frenchman.

• The top seed, Chris Evert Lloyd, and second seed, Steffi Graf, of West Germany, played to form and advanced to the final of a $U5250,000 women’s tennis tournament in Florida yesterday with quick straight-set victories.

Lloyd beat Manuela Maleeva, of Bulgaria, 6-1, 6-0 — the third straight day she dropped only one game in a match. Graf gained with nearly equal ease against the fourth seed, Bonnie Gadusek (U.S.) winning 6-0, 6-2, in only 49 minutes against an opponent from whom she had expected a tougher match.