TENNIS ROUNDUP : Connors Defeats Kriek for Senior Event Title

Top-seeded Jimmy Connors won his second championship in as many events on the new Champions Tour for players 35 and over by defeating Johan Kriek on Sunday in the $150,000 Infiniti Champions tournament in Thousand Oaks.

Connors defeated Kriek, 6-4, 6-0, before 3,104 at Sherwood Country Club. Kriek, who upset third-seeded Guillermo Vilas and second-seeded Bjorn Borg to get to the final, said he was unprepared for Connors.

“Today Jimmy played top-50 tennis,” said Kriek, 35. “I’m six years younger and look what he did today. I don’t know why people try to write him off.”

Kriek possesses one of the hardest serves of any player, but five double-faults and 20 unforced errors were his undoing as Connors broke his service five times.

“He’s the most dangerous player I’ve played, because he can hit a winner from anywhere,” Connors said. “But he missed a lot of first serves and I couldn’t have struck the ball any better.”

Connors had more service winners (10) than unforced errors (nine) in the one-hour, four-minute match and earned $40,000.

In the doubles final, Borg and Larry Stefanki defeated Connors and Harold Solomon, 7-5, 6-3.