Sanchez Vicario Advances, Edberg Toppled

WIMBLEDON, England -- Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Jana Novotna, two of the favorites after the ouster of top-seeded Steffi Graf, reached the third round of Wimbledon with easy victories Thursday. Sanchez Vicario, the No. 2 seed, defeated 143rd-ranked Maria Jose Gaidano of Argentina, 6-2, 6-1. Novotna, the No. 5 seed and tearful loser to Graf in last year's final, routed Wiltrud Probst of Germany, also by 6-2, 6-1. In men's second-round play, Stefan Edberg became the third former champion knocked out in the early rounds of Wimbledon, losing Thursday in five sets as 113th-ranked Kenneth Carlsen of Denmark played the match of his life. Edberg won the first set in a tiebreaker before darkness halted play late Wednesday, and scraped through another tiebreaker in the second set Thursday. But he could produce only two aces to 14 for Carlsen, and the Dane rallied strongly for a 6-7 (8-6), 6-7 (8-6), 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 victory. Ninth-seeded Andrei Medvedev of Ukraine rallied to defeat Slava Dosedol of the Czech Republic, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4, and 15th-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov, a fast-rising Russian star playing in his first Wimbledon, demolished Germany's Karsten Braasch, 6-1, 6-1, 6-3. In a matchup of two of the most surprising first-round winners, American Bryan Shelton battled past Morocco's Karim Alami, 6-3, 7-5, 1-6, 6-7 (9-7), 6-2. Shelton, ranked 120th, upset world No. 2 Michael Stich in straight sets Wednesday, while the 100th-ranked Alami, in his Grand Slam debut, beat 24th-ranked Magnus Larsson. Alami had never before won a set on grass, and no one from his country had ever won a match at Wimbledon. Three other women's seed advanced. No. 10 Gabriela Sabatini beat Jenny Byrne of Australia, 6-2, 6-3; No. 13 Zina Garrison-Jackson beat Argentina's Mercedes Paz, 7-5, 6-0, and Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic, designated No. 17 seed after the withdrawal of seventh-seeded Mary Pierce, beat Argentine Patricia Tarabini, 6-4, 6-2. Martina Navratilova, her prospects brightened by Graf's defeat, was to play her second-round match later Thursday against Sandra Cecchini of Italy. She is playing her last Wimbledon at 37, seeking her 10th singles title in 22 attempts. (AP, Reuters)