OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Friday 10.30am.
BJORN BORG on Thursday annihilated Argentinian veteran Guillermo Vilas to proceed to the semifinals of the MTN Champions Tournament, being played at the University of Pretoria indoor arena.
Borg (42), who held his world number-one ranking for an incredible 109 weeks in his prime, outplayed Vilas in all departments and did not put a foot wrong, ousting the Argentinian 6-1, 6-2 in a first-round match lasting only 55 minutes.
Borg will now play the winner of Friday night’s match between Iranian Mansour Bahrami and another Swedish former number one, Mats Wilander. In the other semi, Aussie Scott Fitzgerald will have to overcome either South African Danie Visser or Frenchman Yannick Noah.
In the doubles semifinal played last night, unseeded South African Kevin Curren and Fitzgerald beat top-seeded Frenchmen Henri Leconte and Noah, 6-7(4-7), 6-4, 10-5. Curren and Fitzgerald will play Wilander and Borg in Sunday’s doubles final.