Tennis Roundup : Noah Gets the Breaks at the Right Time, Beats Anger

France’s Yannick Noah made the big shots at the right time Tuesday night to defeat Matt Anger, 7-5, 6-4, 6-2, in the first round of the World Championship Tennis finals at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

Johan Kriek won the evening’s other first-round match by beating Brad Gilbert, 6-4, 6-1, 2-6, 4-6, 6-3.

Noah, ranked eighth in the world, broke Anger’s service just four times, but the breaks came at crucial times.

He broke him at 6-5 of the first set by making a diving, tumbling backhand return of Anger’s attempt at a passing shot. That set up the break point, which Noah made with a drop shot that the lunging Anger could not return.

Noah, 25, then broke Anger at 3-2 in the second set when Anger made two unforced errors.

In the final set, Noah got a break at 2-1 on two outstanding passing shots. The first was a twisting overhand that landed in a corner behind the outstretched reach of the 6-foot 2-inch Anger. Noah also got a second break at 5-2, the final shot hitting Anger at the net.

Kriek, ranked 14th in the world, was trailing Gilbert, 2-0, in the fifth set when he changed his style of play and started his winning rally.

“I tried to come in to (the net) a little bit more, and then I served and volleyed some on my second serve,” Kriek said. “I gambled a little bit more. It surprised him.”

Kriek broke Gilbert twice to take a 4-2 lead. Gilbert broke Kriek to pull within 4-3. But Kriek broke back and held on to win and advance to the quarterfinals.

Chris Evert Lloyd survived a strong first-set challenge from West Germany’s Sylvia Hanika before posting a 7-6, 6-1 victory in the second round of the Family Circle Magazine Cup at Hilton Head Island, S.C.

Evert Lloyd, an eight-time winner of the tournament and the defending champion, trailed Hanika, 3-1 and 5-3, in the first set before rallying to force a tiebreaker, which Lloyd won, 12-10.