TENNIS ROUNDUP : Edberg Loses to Matsuoka on the Grass

Shuzo Matsuoka of Japan, ranked No. 81 in the world, stunned two-time Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg, 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 10-8, Saturday to reach the final of the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament at London.

Matsuoka, 24, saved six match points--two during the tiebreaker and four at 5-6 in the third set--as he scored the biggest victory of his six-year career.

Matsuoka will meet 12th-seeded Wayne Ferreira of South Africa, who defeated seventh-seeded Brad Gilbert, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4.

Matsuoka produced a powerful display of serve-and-volley tennis to beat Edberg at his own game in 3 hours 13 minutes.

“The more opportunities I had to win the match, the more difficult it seemed to get,” Edberg said. “I had my chances and I blew it.

“But with Wimbledon only one week away, I have to shake it off. It’s as simple as that.”

Defending Wimbledon champion Michael Stich defeated John McEnroe, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), to move into the finals of the Continental Grass Court Championships at Rosmalen, the Netherlands, against upstart Jonathan Stark.

Stark, a 22-year old from Medford, Ore., advanced to his first ATP championship match with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) upset over Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands.

Stich will move into fourth place in the rankings ahead of fellow German Boris Becker whether he wins or loses today.

Brenda Schultz of the Netherlands used a powerful serve to defeat Pam Shriver, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), in the semifinals of a grass court tournament at Birmingham, England.

Unseeded Jenny Byrne of Australia also moved into the finals with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over 10th-seeded Jo Durie of Britain.

Defending champion Thomas Muster of Austria defeated third-seeded Magnus Gustafsson of Sweden, 6-4, 7-5, in the semifinals of the City of Florence tournament in Italy and will play local favorite Renzo Furlan for the title.

Furlan defeated Marcelo Filippini of Uruguay, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, in the clay-court event.