European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday december 18, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 35 w. Germans win 1 St Davis cup Becker Jelen take doubles to beat swedes b step i an mass rom Goteborg. Sweden a Boris Becker Anderic Jelcin Learned to win saturday s doubles match Over Sweden clinching West Germany s first Davis cup championship. The West germans came from two sets Down to beat Stefan Edberg and Anders Jarryd 3-6, 2-6, 7-5, 6 3. 6-2, giving them an unbeatable 3-0 Lead in the Best of five match series. West Germany became the ninth country to win the coveted learn trophy that american Dwight f. Davis inaugurated 88 years ago. The Victory touched olt wild celebrations on the Wisl German team and among at least ,000 German fans who packed the Sandina Vicurn Arena. Nikki Pilic the West German Captain hugged his doubles heroes after the Victory and he other West German team members joined the celebrations. While Edberg served steadily throughout the match posting eight love games the Veteran Jarryd was a big disappointment. He was broken in his last six service games As he could t gel his first serve in. And the last break gave the West German team a 5-2 Lead in the final set. Jelcin then easily held his serve to wrap up the Victory. It was the second time that Sweden blew leads of 2-0 in sets in the final. Carl Urc Steeb rallied from a 0-2 deficit to upset mais Wilander the world s no. I ranked player in the opening singles Friday. Becker then easily beat Edburg in straight sets to give the germans a 2-0 Lead going into the doubles. Only once in Davis cup history has a team managed to win a final after railing 0-2 before he doubles. Twas in 1939, when Australia edged the United slates 3 2 in Philadelphia. Sweden was the defending Champion having whipped India 5-0 on a similar indoor Clay court Here year ago. The biggest Shock in Friday s opening singles matches came when St cab ranked 74th in the world stunned Wilander. Sjo. 1-6,6-2, 6-2, 8-6 in the first match. I m so Happy St cab said after the biggest Victor of his career. I just went for my strokes Oil the time. In the last three sets i think i played Well. "1 Don t think i be Ever played so Well certainly Notin such an important match like a Davis cup Steeb saved one match Point a 5-6 in the fifth set of the five hour match. Becker then easily Defeated Edberg the reigning West Germany s Boris Becker Lite teammate Etc Jelen As they celebrate Davis cup win with team Captain mkt Pilic. Wimbledon Champion 6-3,6-1,6-4 in their first meet ing Ever on Clay. -. I think i played pretty Ood on Clay tonight said Becker who lost to Edberg in the Wimbledon final and also was beaten by the swede in a round Robin match of the masters this month. Becker the holiest player in the last two months with Nabisco grand prix victories in Tokyo an Stockholm As Well us the masters thought he had a better Chance from the beginning because Stefan has not played so Many Clay court tournaments this Becker s better All court game spelled the difference against Edburg. The German hit his and moved much better throughout the match. Edberg changed tactics in the third set playing More aggressive Tennis. The swede had two chances to Lake a4-2 Lead but Becker Laved both break paints. Wilander a three time French open Champion had never before lost a five set match after winning the first twp played More aggressive in inc end and made Myown Points Steeb said. Mats looked tired and he missed hit passing shots when 9 came in the 21-year-old so cab unbeaten in his three Davis cup singles had predicted after thursdays draw that he would give West Germany a 1-0 Lead saying i will have nothing to lose and i can play relaxed. No one believed him then. Of course i was nervous in the beginning but after four hours of play you Don t think about it Stemb said. Wilander had problems concentrating especially in he third and fourth sols and he said Sieb played Well tactically " ,. He was mixing his shots sometimes coming in then staying Back said Wilander now 32-10 in Davis cup singles play. Sometimes he hit Long High Back hands. I never knew what he was going to do. Usually i play like he did today. But i did t gel anything extra from my shots. 1 knew that he could play Well for one or two hours but i did t think he could do it for so Long Wilander won the australian French and . Open titles this year but lost both singles matches in a Davis cup quarterfinal against Czechoslovakia last april. Girardelli captures world cup slalom Luxembourg s Marc Girardelli. Nabs Overall Lead Kranska Cora. Yugoslavia a Mare Girardelli the austrian born skier from Luxembourg won his second world cup slalom this season saturday and moved into first place in the Overall standings. West Germany s Armin Bil incr was second and Alberto Tomba of Italy finished third this is my first real Victory against Tomba Girardelli said alter clocking winning t minute 50.52 seconds. How Ever the italian is still the cup s greatest slalom my form is improving and so is my Confidence. I was sure of my Victory after finishing first in the first heat this was my first third place Ever in the world cup which is a new experience for me said Tomba whose Streak of nine world cup victories propelled him to International Fame last season Tomba predicted that he would win next thursday s slalom in St. Anton Austria. Tomba who won two Gold medals atthe 1988 Winter olympics trailed Giar Dulli by 0.70 seconds at the end of this season s third world cup slalom. The Victory moved Girardelli into the Lead in world cup Competition with so Points. Defending Champion Pirmin Zurbriggen dropped to second with 62 Points 10 ahead of Tomba. Zurbiggen finished seventh in the first heat but cropped out in the second. Girard Lii s Early showing indicates that Tomba and Zurbriggen Nave a new rival for the Overall title and for Gold in the world championships in Vail colo.,next february. Girardelli Tomba and myself will fight for the world cup title to the bitter end Zurbri gun who is seeking a re Cord lying fourth Overall Crown said. Girard Cleiv Best result last season when he suffered from a serious shoulder injury was a third place in a downhill at Vail. After a 20-month shutout he won this season s inaugural slalom in Italy. On saturday Girardelli. A former Dou ble world cup Champion scored his 2slh Victory 15th in slalom Bittner now second behind Girardelli inthe cup s slalom standings said he feels Good for placing belter than Tomba who is a class of his Bitner had an aggie Gate Timof 1 51.01. Norway s Ole Christian Furuseth a second group starter who had trailed Girardelli of a big 1.62 second margin Tor the 13th place after the morning run clocked the Best second heat time to vault nine spots. It is great to be among the elite of the world cup skiing Furuseth said after finishing fourth in 1 52.21.Austria s Hubert stroll a giant slalom and super a specialist took fifth place in. 1 52.46. In another Surprise Peter Justko of Czechoslovakia finished sixth in i 53j2,.the Tsiriya Okabe. The rising japanese slalom Star was next in 1 53.20, followed by the Best placed american Felix Mcgrath who was eighth in 1 53.50,
