European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - June 2, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 2, 1967 the stars and stripes Page 25 Connors Lendl Becker Advance to quarterfinals Jimmy Connors uses two fists to drop re Clit sle Thun in four sets monday in Paris by Larry Siddons Paris a Ivan Lendl turned a Nightmare into a dream match monday finishing a 2-6, 6-, 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 Victory Over Joakim Nystrom to Roar into themen s quarterfinals of the French open. Boris Becker Mats Wilander and Jimmy Connors also advanced to themen s quarterfinals. The Lindl Nystrom match was sus Pended by darkness in i he chill Twilight sunday. It resumed under warm sunny skies on Center court and Lendl s play was As much changed As the weather. Tentative and plagued by errors he evening before blowing 11 set Points in the third Sei including nine in one serv ice game the defending men s Champion was overwhelming when play resumed. Becker Wilander and Connors All lost hair first set before rallying to join Lendl in the final eight. Becker turned on his Best Power Tennis to beat Jimmy Arias 5-7,6-3,6-2,6-q, the 19-year-old West German started charging the net behind booming serves in the second Sci and Arias made in creasing numbers of errors after breaking Becker Tor the first set. Becker will face Connors a French open Quarter finalist for the seventh time and the oldest Man left in the Field at 34. The Only american remaining in the men s draw Connors beat West German Rycki Osi Nhun 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, 6-3. Wilander ousted unseeded Tarik bin  5-7,6-1,6-3, 6-3, i dreamed about it Asi night Lendl said of his sunday play. When i woke up 1 said geez what a Nightmare then i realized the dream was i Rue and it really was a  was jolted in he Early going by the 23-year-old Osl Orthun. He trailed 5-4 in the second set and had o save two set Points on his serve. But then the Veteran took Over win Ning nine games in a Row for the second and third sets breaking Ost Calhun rec times in the third and allowing Jusi two Points in those games. In the women s Field second Seede Steffi Graf won her 37th match in a Row and will Mecl Argentina s Gabriela Saba Tini in the semifinals. Graf was nol overpowering against Manuela Malcova the sixth seed but she took advantage of the Dulgarian s mis takes to win 6-4, 6-1. Sabatini reached the semifinals by beating 15-year-old Aranqua Sanchez of Spain. Sabatini the seventh seed who was 15 herself when she first Mode the semifinals Here two years ago was Down 0-3 in the first set before coming Back to. Win fi-4, 6-0. Old Man of Tennis relishes his feats on Clay by Bill Beacon Paris Ufi Jimmy Connors is gelling a lot of laughs from his old Man of Tennis routine Al the French open but the joke is on anyone who thinks ihc34-year-old has lost his competitive drive. Saturday Connors kept Pace with a player half his age 17-year-old Argentine Franco Davin to reach the fourth round at Roland Garros. He followed that on monday with a four set Triumph Over 23-year-old West German Ricki Osl Nhun to reach the quarterfinals of the grand slam tournament for the seven la time. At Post match news conferences Connors fielded questions about his age and retirement plans with a mischievous Grin and dismissed them with one liners. When asked if at his age he finds playing on Clay courts Lougher than other surfaces he said if you d asked me thai four or five years ago i would have said there was a difference. Now i come off of any Courland i feel  venom crepe into his smile when asked if it Felt different to win. At his age from the Way it did when he was inc world s number one player in the 1970s. Then i went out and that was it. Thai s Why i was there and that s what e did. Now winning is like something extra. It would probably leave a different taste in a lot of people s Mouths. What sort of taste i won t say. But i d make them eat  Connors has t had the satisfaction of showing up those who have called him a jaded Star and speculated on his retirement. It has been three years since Connors won a tournament and he has dropped to ninth in world rankings. Crushing defeats by the world s top players in the past year made it evident he is no longer the player he was when he was ranked number one from 1974 through 1978 and won five . Opens i to Wimble dons and one australian open ink1. But Connors showed in the first week at Roland Garro that he is still head and shoulders above the average and can still run with players who were toddlers when he won the firs of his 105 tournament titles in i 972. He beat compatriot Todd Nelson West Germany s Michael Wesin Hal and Davin in the first three rounds dropping Only one set along the Way. I feel in pretty Good shape right now the luf hand or said. Connors said the grand slam events were where i be always been Able to Rise to the occasion when i needed to and these arc the first i la let go if 1 Ever feel i m not playing the Way i want to  Mats reportedly talking to Seaver new York a the new York acts have been negotiating with three time by Young award Winner Tom Seaver and could sign him by the end of Trie week according to a published re port. Monday s editions of the new York daily news reported hat the acts began talking with the 42-year-old Seaver after starters David Cone and Rick Aguilera were sidelined with injuries last week. A Caver who starred for the mets from 1967 to 1977 and pitched for them again in 1983, became a free agent after he was television baseball St. Louis at Cincinnati taped 10 34 . Tuesday. Radio and television basketball Aba finals came i Boston in los Angeles lakers 3 . Unable to reach a contract agreement with the Boston red sox during the off season. Other teams were reluctant to sign Seaver for fear of losing a top Amateur draft pick an impediment that will disappear by midweek when the draft is completed. Seavor who has 311 career wins was acquired by the red sox from the Chi Cago while son last june. He was 5-7 with a 2.93 earned run average for inc red sox but missed inc american league playoffs and the world series with a knee injury. The White sox had taken Seaver from inc acts in the free agent compensation draft in 1984 after inc mils left him unprotected. Seavor contacted at his Greenwich conn., Home by the daily news refused to confirm or deny that negotiation were taking place. I have no comment at this time he said but added that he was aware hat the acts pitching staff has been riddled with injuries. Asked How soon he could be ready to Pilch if a major league team signed him Seaver said about three weeks  the acts already strapped for Pilch ing with the loss of Bob Ojeda for the rest of the season with Elbow trouble lost Cone for at least three months with broken Finger wednesday. One night ear Lier Aguilera was scratched from a Start with Elbow stiffness and has been told not to pick up a baseball for three weeks. He also May need surgery. The i is also have been without their Ace right Handor Dwight Golden who i working his Way into shape in the minor leagues after undergoing drug rehabilitation. He is expected to make his first Start for the mets Friday night. According to the paper acts general manager Frank Cashen began talks with Seaver after exhausting All efforts to Deal for an Active Pitcher. Seaver said he had been doing some throwing at Home and had kept his legs in shape by working with weights an playing Squash. 42-year-old Tarn Seaver. Doing some throwing