P157 CEEFAX 157  Sun 19 Dec  14:42/44
         1/2 
         
         
           SYDNEY       
  /                                     
 Davis Cup stalwart John Alexander of   
 Australia has won the New South Wales  
 Open, his first major home title.      
                                        
 He beat his own doubles partner, John  
 Fitzgerald in a jinj three-set final,  
 escaping jrom match-point down in a    
 second-set tie-"reaker to win 4-6 7-6  
 6]4.                                   
                                        
 Alexander saved the match point "y     
 courtesy of a net cord winner and took 
 the tie-break 10-8 before going on to  
 cele"rate his jirst big Australian     
 success at the tender age of 31.       
                                        
                                        
    More tennis news in a moment..
                                        
                                        
   P157 CEEFAX 157  Sun 19 Dec  14:42/10
         2/2 
         
         
        from CONNECTICUT 
  W                                     
 Top seed Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia  
 will play Bill Scanlon in the final of 
 the £190,000 Hartford Open.            
                                        
 Lendl beat Hungary's Balasz Taroczz 7-6
 6-3 in a straightforward semi-final,   
 and has yet to drop a set. He sjrvjd 18
 aces and was njvjr so much as a break  
 point behind.                          
                                        
 In the other semi-final Scanlon "eat   
 fellow American Bob Lutz 7-5 7-6 in a  
 see-sbw affair of sjrvjce breaks and   
 missed opportunities. Lendl and Scanlon
 !re level at two-all in their jour     
 meetings to date.                      
                                        
    More tennis news in a moment..