Australian Open Tennis Championships : Becker Upset by 26-Year-Old Dutchman

MELBOURNE, Australia â€”  Wimbledon champion Boris Becker lost his opening match in the $1.5-million Australian Open tennis championships Thursday.

Playing his first match on grass since Wimbledon, the 18-year-old West German was ousted by 26-year-old Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.

The fourth-seeded Becker, who had a first-round bye, looked shaky throughout the 3-hour 15-minute struggle.

“I played pretty bad. I lost the match . . . he didn’t win it,� said Becker, who appeared close to tears.

Schapers, ranked No. 188 in the world, gave Becker little chance to attack. He made for the net at every opportunity, daring Becker to pass him.

“I knew it was windy today, and his first match, so I thought I could do well,� said the former economics student from Rotterdam. “He didn’t play so well, and I started playing better and better and better.

“Once I broke his serve in the final set, I knew I would win. I have had a lot of close matches recently and lost. This time I felt I deserved to win.�

Schapers’ win was a victory for composure and patience over youthful impetuosity.

“I just didn’t get nervous,� Schapers said. “If I’d got nervous, I would have lost.�

The former soccer player and cricketer said he felt due for a big result.

“I’ve worked very hard over the past couple of months, and this was my reward,� he said.

Becker put on a brave face at his postmatch press conference but said he had been unsettled by the windy conditions and the slick court.

“Under those conditions, the difference between fifth and 150th in the world isn’t so much,� Becker said.

“I just couldn’t put the balls in the field. I surprised myself how badly I can play.

“I played well in London and Tokyo, but I never felt really comfortable here. I couldn’t find my rhythm in the wind.�

Becker was hindered by having a first-round bye, while Schapers had a five-set first-round win under his belt.

Earlier, top-seeded Ivan Lendl was extended in his opening match by 18-year-old Leonardo Lavalle of Mexico before beating the 1985 Wimbledon junior champion, 6-4, 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. The match lasted 2 hours 2 minutes.

Defending champion Mats Wilander of Sweden also lost a set but bounced back to beat Gary Muller of South Africa, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-4.

Four seeded women--Martina Navratilova (2), Hana Mandlikova (3), Pam Shriver (4) and Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (5)-- won their matches without difficulty.

Navratilova defeated Dee Ann Hansel, 6-2, 6-1; Mandlikova beat Camille Benjamin of Bakersfield, Calif., 6-2, 6-2; Shriver ousted Andrea Holikova of Czechoslovakia, 6-2, 6-3, and Kohde-Kilsch of West Germany downed Annabel Croft of Britain, 7-5, 6-3.

However, three seeded men--Scott Davis (9) of Santa Monica, Tomas Smid (11) of Czechoslovakia and Henrik Sundstrom (14) of Sweden--were all beaten.