U.S. Open Men’s Matches : Lendl Outlasts Mansdorf in 5 Sets; Agassi, Connors Also Win

NEW YORK — For five sets against three-time defending U.S. Open champion Ivan Lendl, Amos Mansdorf pulled a rerun of the best of his Israeli countryman, Shlomo Glickstein.

Mansdorf even followed the same pattern--as far as the final outcome was concerned--that Glickstein had woven three years ago against John McEnroe. Eventually, the Israeli unraveled, losing to Lendl, 6-2, 6-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0, in a first-round match Wednesday night at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadow.

But if you look back to 1985, back to the days when Lendl was known as the challenger without courage, Glickstein nearly put the four-time Open champion, McEnroe, out in the first round on the first day of the U.S. Open. He pushed McEnroe to the limit, losing, 7-6, in the fifth set.

McEnroe reached the final but relinquished his title to Lendl, who has held the No. 1 spot ever since.

Now, Lendl has arrived in New York this year with his confidence somewhat shaken because he hasn’t reached a Grand Slam final this year. People have begun talking about whether Mats Wilander or Stefan Edberg would replace him at the top of the rankings. Naturally, the words grew louder when Lendl was pushed into a fifth set against the No. 24-ranked Mansdorf.

Lendl, however, had other ideas about passing the torch.

“Obviously, 1986 and 1987 were my best years by far,” he said. “And ’88 cannot measure up to it, by any standards. But I think I’m fitter and quicker than last year. Obviously, my confidence cannot be as good, but it’s pretty good for me.”

Lendl, in part, blamed his problems on having to play his first match of the Open at night. And then there was Mansdorf, who smacked the ball back at Lendl almost as hard as Lendl was hitting it.

“When you’re playing someone who plays very well, especially like Amos, if you are not on top of your game for a little time, he’s going to take advantage of it,” Lendl said.

Mansdorf, who has had victories over Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors, wasn’t satisfied with a five-set showing against Lendl.

“Since I’ve been in a few of these matches, I know it’s not just enough to play well and have a good score,” he said. “That’s not what the game is about. The game is about winning and losing. I might as well have lost in three sets and saved everybody time. I could be watching a movie now.”

Lendl never figured he would need 3 hours 48 minutes to beat Mansdorf, especially after he took the third set, 6-1, establishing a 2-1 lead.

In the fourth set, Mansdorf forged a 4-0 lead on the strength of two service breaks. Lendl made him work for the set, though, pulling even at 4-4. The biggest point of the set came at 30-30 in the ninth game when Mansdorf hit a backhand passing shot down the line and stopped Lendl’s momentum by holding his own serve.

Even though Lendl lost the fourth set, he figured Mansdorf wouldn’t have anything left. Despite some impressive results earlier in 1988--including the Becker win--Mansdorf has struggled since this spring. Lendl said Mansdorf’s problem has been conditioning.

“I know him very well, and we practice a lot,” said Lendl, who is regarded as one of the fittest players on the tour. “I know how long he can last. Even when he won the fourth, I knew he would start cramping and have nothing left for the fifth.”

In other first-round matches, all the seeded men’s players--No. 4 Andre Agassi, No. 6 Connors, No. 7 Yannick Noah, No. 9 Tim Mayotte, No. 13 Jonas Svensson and No. 15 Anders Jarryd--advanced.

Agassi, Connors and Noah each won in straight sets against qualifiers. Agassi, the top U.S. player at 18, beat former University of Georgia player, Philip Johnson, 7-6, 6-3, 6-3. Connors dropped just seven games to Agustin Moreno. Noah beat former Pepperdine standout Kelly Jones, 7-6, 6-4, 6-1. Mayotte came through a few rough moments against Jim Pugh before winning, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 5-7, 6-3. Svensson, who next plays Michael Chang, a straight-set winner over Brazil’s Luiz Mattar, defeated Todd Witsken, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.