Boris Becker never lost his serve as he defeated David Wheaton 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5 in the Wimbledon semifinals Friday and set up an all-German final against Michael Stich.
Earlier, Stich had taken advantage of lapses by top seed Stefan Edberg in a trio of tie-breakers to win their semifinal 4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6.The victory enabled Becker to pass Edberg for the No. 1 ranking for the second time this year. He had been the top-ranked player for three weeks after winning the Australian Open in January, but Edberg reclaimed it in early February.
Even if he loses in the final Becker will leave Wimbledon with the No. 1 ranking.
He will be seeking his fourth Wimbledon title. Stich has won only one tournament, but never a Grand Slam event.
In beating Wheaton, Becker avoided the fate of Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi, who were upset by the unseeded American.
Becker, seeded second, saved all 10 break points he faced by coming up with big serves whenever he was in trouble. Wheaton only lost his serve twice in the match.
The Becker-Stich battle will be the first all-German men's final at Wimbledon and the first men's final between compatriots since John McEnroe defeated Jimmy Connors in an all-American clash in 1984.
Stich, hitting his first serve at an average speed of 110 mph, dethroned a defending champion - the same thing happened in women's play - and prevented Edberg from reaching his fourth straight Wimbledon final.
"I played a few bad shots at important times. That was the whole story of the match," Edberg said. "I had a few chances but I blew them. I gave it away, I thought."
Stich, 22, who used his 6-foot-4 frame and long reach to repeatedly win points at the net, won the second set when Edberg double-faulted twice in a 7-5 tie-breaker.
Edberg, who had lost only eight points overall in his 11 service games entering that tie-breaker, hit the second of those double faults at least 10 feet out.
Edberg made an even more glaring error in the third-set tie-breaker, which also ended 7-5, when he whiffed on an easy shot while facing set point. Standing at the net, Edberg appeared to misjudge the ball and barely touched it as it floated past.
"Obviously I didn't watch the ball, it's just as simple as that," Edberg said.
Stich got a big break in the final tie-breaker, which he won 7-2, on a shot that struck the net and bounced over Edberg's racket. He closed out the match with a pair of booming service winners.
"I stayed really tough for the whole match," said Stich, a member of the German team that faces the United States in a Davis Cup semifinal contest in Kansas City in late September.
Edberg did not lose his serve in the match, but he seemed to sag after losing the second set. His passing shots lacked sting after that point.
"I had the feeling he got a bit tired. He didn't serve that hard anymore," Stich said. "He was for sure a bit frustrated. He had a couple of break points and missed a couple of easy balls."Sixth-seeded Stich, who lost in the semifinals of the French Open last month, never got higher than the third round at Wimbledon. He got to the third round last year.
Stich had advanced to the semifinals with a 6-3, 7-6, 6-2 victory over fourth seed Jim Courier. Edberg had scored a 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 victory Thursday over Thierry Champion.
Becker, who had played Edberg in the last three finals, struggled for four hours Thursday before defeating seventh seed Guy Forget 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 7-6.
Wheaton survived a battle of attrition with Andre Agassi in the quarterfinals. By the end of the five-set match, Wheaton had a sore ankle and Agassi was limping due to a thigh injury.
Wheaton slumped in the middle of the 6-2, 0-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-2 victory and was two points from losing in the fourth set, but Agassi - who has a history of failing in big matches - let him off the hook.
Even Wheaton could not understand how he survived.
"I just have no idea how that happened, I really don't," he said. "He was serving for the match and somehow, I really don't know how, I figured out a way to win."
Wheaton, who pounded 15 aces but also had 14 double faults, said he never got his serve untracked on a windy day.
Agassi had only one ace and struggled to return Wheaton's serve. He said his biggest concern was surviving, not winning, after pulling a thigh muscle in the opening game of the match.
The fifth seed, a crowd favorite in his first Wimbledon appearance since 1987, said he considered pulling out as early as the third game - but stayed because of the fans.
"The thought of winning was asinine at that point. I thought there was no chance for me," Agassi said. "It was tough for me to walk off the court, though."