TENNIS ROUNDUP : Rostagno Sweeps Past No. 1 Courier

Wild-card entry Derrick Rostagno, resurging after being ill twice last year, upset top-seeded Jim Courier, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1, Wednesday in the first round of the $700,000 U.S. Indoor tournament at Philadelphia.

“More than anything, Derrick just played outstanding,” Courier said.

Rostagno led, 5-4, but failed to convert three set points. Courier pulled out of the 12-point deuce game with a service ace.

Rostagno had another set point at 6-5 but lost it by returning a serve out. In the tiebreaker, Courier led by 4-2 and 5-3, but Rostagno then won four points in a row and reached set point with a forehand down the line. He won with a serve that Courier netted.

In other matches, No. 2-seeded Pete Sampras defeated Thomas Enqvist of Sweden, 6-1, 7-5, and No. 4 Ivan Lendl beat Marcos Ondruska of South Africa, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

Boris Becker has been unbeatable this year, except in the first round. The top-seeded German struggle to beat Henri Leconte of France, 6-4, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3, in the opening round of the Eurocard Open at Stuttgart, Germany.

“It’s always difficult to play the first round after winning a tournament and he made it extra difficult,” said Becker, who has won four of his last five tournaments, losing only in the first round of the Australian Open.

Top-ranked Monica Seles reached the quarterfinals of the Paris Women’s Open with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Judith Wiesner of Austria.

Seles is 13-0 this year and riding a 32-match winning streak.

Second-seeded Martina Navratilova moved into second round by beating Katja Oeljeklaus of Germany, 6-1, 6-3, and sixth-seeded Mary Pierce of France defeated Nicole Muns-Jagerman of the Netherlands, 6-3, 6-4.

Fourth-seeded Jana Novotna of the Czech Republic beat Sandrine Testud of France, 6-2, 6-2.

Linda Ferrando of Italy upset fifth-seeded Sabine Appelmans of Italy, 7-5, 6-4, in the second round of the IGA Classic at Oklahoma City.

Meredith McGrath defeated Sophie Amiach of France, 6-4, 6-2, and Tami Whitlinger beat Helen Kelesi of Canada, who was forced to retire by respiratory problems at 4-6, 6-3, 3-3.