TENNIS ROUNDUP : Rostagno Adds to Upset List by Defeating Lendl in Tokyo

Derrick Rostagno continued his surprising run in Tokyo, reaching the finals of the Seiko Super tournament by defeating third-seeded Ivan Lendl, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, on Saturday.

A day earlier, Rostagno had ousted second-seeded Boris Becker.

Rostagno, from Brentwood, will face Stefan Edberg, the world’s top player, for the championship today. Edberg struggled early but recovered to beat No. 6 Goran Ivanisevic, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 7-5, in the semifinals.

In the first-set tiebreaker between Rostagno and Lendl, Rostagno double-faulted for 4-4, but then won two points. Lendl committed an unforced error, giving Rostagno the set.

In the second set, Rostagno, seeded seventh, served three aces in the sixth game to hold serve, then broke Lendl in the seventh game. Rostagno fired his eighth ace at match point.

“I served well and volleyed well,” Rostagno said. “I got my rhythm on service back when he made two double faults in the fifth game.”

Edberg and Ivanisevic played for nearly two hours, with Ivanisevic getting 21 aces to only five for Edberg.

In the third set, Ivanisevic fired three consecutive aces to hold serve in the seventh game. But he double-faulted for 15-30, then hit into the net twice as Edberg won the 11th game, the only break in the set.

Top-seeded Steffi Graf overcame a nagging wrist injury and turned in a 6-4, 6-3 victory over fifth-seeded Helena Sukova in the semifinals of the European Indoors at Zurich, Switzerland.

Nathalie Tauziat of France outlasted fourth-seeded Manuela Maleeva-Fragniere, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-5), in the other semifinal.

Graf, the world’s second-ranked player, has said she will take two weeks off after this tournament.

Fourth-seeded Petr Korda defeated seventh-seeded Anders Jarryd, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2, and Arnaud Boetsch defeated Patrik Kuehnen, 6-2, 6-3, in the semifinals of the Berlin ATP tournament.