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Show TENNIS NEWS John McEnroe won the Wimbledon men's singles title Saturday with a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 triumph over Bjorn Borg. McEnroe won the fourth set with the title 6-4 on his second match point. After Borg had taken a 30-0 lead, the Swede suddenly made three unforced errors to give McEnroe championship champion-ship point. Borg saved it with a backhand volley, but then a brave smash took McEnroe ahead again and he nabbed the crown with a forehand volley after three hours and 26 minutes. Even though McEnroe was annoyed at missing chances for a decisive break, he maintained the pressure, holding his service ser-vice to lead 5-4 and move within one game of victory. vic-tory. He started with a service winner and followed up with an ace for 30-0. Borg was out with a forehand return of service. Borg produced a winning forehand pass but McEnroe then took the next point with a stop volley. This left the Swede serving to save his life. McEnroe had moved to 4-3 lead. Borg netted a running forehand, but earned an ovation with another great forehand for 15-15. The Swede's third powerful forehand hit the net cord and bounced out for 30-15. McEnroe made it 40-15 with a stop volley and then took the game with a forehand placement. Borg's title seemed in real jeopardy when McEnroe held two break points in the eighth game. But Borg saved the first with a miraculous retreive off a net cord and then hit a winner on McEnroe's reply. On the next point, McEnroe hit a forehand into the net and Borg took the last two points as McEnroe lobbed out and then missed an easy overhead smash to make the score 4-4. Borg had drawn even at 3-3, allowing McEnroe his only point on a double fault. McEnroe was wide with a backhand on the first point, but then Borg produced his fourth double dou-ble fault of the match. Borg failed to put away two easy smashes on the next point, but still managed to win it after an exchange at the net. The Swede then aced McEnroe and took the game when the American netted a backhand return of serve. McEnroe still managed to stay ahead by holding the fifth game although trailing twice. The American was too long with a forehand on the opening point, but then aced Borg to make it 15-15 before Borg came back with a sizzling winning return of service. McEnroe reacted with a service winner, produced a backhand winner and then forced Borg to overhit a service return. McEnroe's victory, which brought him $43,200, ended Borg's record run of 41 consecutive con-secutive Wimbledon victories vic-tories and also foiled the champion's bid to match Willie Renshaw's 95 year record of six successive titles. Chris Evert Lloyd nabbed nab-bed her third Wimbledon women's singles title Friday Fri-day with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia. Lloyd's easy victory was achieved achiev-ed in only 60 minutes. The 26 year old American player won all seven of her matches in straight sets, the first such clean slate by a women's singles champion at Wimbledon since Billie Jean King won in 1967. |