Tennis Roundup : Mayotte Tops Connors; Streak Ends

Jimmy Connors lost a singles match in Eagle County, Colo., for the first time Saturday.

Connors, who had won 10 straight matches over the last four years at the Beaver Creek Resort near Vail, fell, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4, to Tim Mayotte in the semifinals of the $125,000 Paine Webber Invitational tennis tournament.

The match lasted 2 hours 36 minutes, excluding a 65-minute rain delay in the third set.

In today’s final, Mayotte will meet Paul Annacone, who defeated Brad Gilbert, 6-4, 6-4, in the other semifinal.

Mayotte overcame 13 double faults to post the victory, including two in the first-set tiebreaker.

“I’m getting used to that a lot,” he said of the double faults, a malady that affected him two weeks ago during Davis Cup play at Mexico City.

“Both times it has happened at altitude. There is a flaw in my toss, and at altitude if it is off, it is less forgiving. At sea level . . . you can top the ball and get it in.”

At Washington, unseeded Karel Novacek of Czechoslovakia upset top-seeded Andres Gomez of Ecuador, 7-6, 1-6, 6-4, to advance to his first Grand Prix final.

Gomez, who won the U.S. Pro Championships last week, was attempting to reach the final of the $220,000 D.C. tournament for the second time in three years.

Instead, it will be Novacek, ranked 110th in the world, who will face second-seeded Thierry Tulasne of France for the $37,400 first prize today. Tulasne defeated fifth-seeded Jimmy Arias in the other semifinal, 7-5, 6-0.

Stephanie Rehe and Melissa Gurney both scored easy victories to gain the final of a $75,000 Virginia Slims tournament at the San Diego Hilton Beach and Tennis Resort.

Rehe, seeded No. 2, defeated No. 4-seeded Kate Gompert, 6-3, 6-4, and the unseeded Gurney topped USC amateur Caroline Kuhlman, 6-2, 6-3.

Gurney, 17, of Rancho Palos Verdes, is ranked 73rd in the world, while Rehe, 16, of Highland, Calif., is ranked 16th. The two last met two years ago when Gurney defeated Rehe for the 1984 National Junior title.

Third-seeded Jakob Hlasek of Switzerland reached the final of a $100,000 Grand Prix tournament at Hilversum, the Netherlands, by defeating Spain’s Emilio Sanchez, 6-4, 7-6.