An American Finally Reigns in Paris as Chang Wins

PARIS, JUNE 11 — Michael Chang, summoning an endurance beyond his years and tennis strokes he was thought incapable of, won the French Open today.

The 17-year-old American defeated Stefan Edberg of Sweden in five sets, four of which he trailed, to become the first U.S. men's champion on the trying red clay of Stade Roland Garros since 1955, and the youngest known claimant of a men's Grand Slam singles title.

For much of this mild afternoon's match, which lasted 3 hours 41 minutes — the fourth longest French final in the open era — Chang seemed certain to be defeated by Edberg, the 23-year-old defending Wimbledon champion. Edberg led two sets to one and was up by a service break in the fourth set before Chang became utterly unyielding. The quiet teenager mustered a series of disquieting passing strokes to ruin Edberg's confidence, and went on to a 6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory that stirred all who saw it.

Chang, who finished high school through correspondence school, became the first U.S. man to capture the French since Tony Trabert was a repeat champion in 1954 and '55. The previous youngest male winner of a Grand Slam tournament was Rodney Heath, who was 17 when he won the Australian Championships in 1905. His birth date is not known. Mats Wilander of Sweden had been the youngest man to win the French, which he captured in 1982 at 17 years 9 months.

"It's hard to think about, it doesn't click in my head," Chang said. "It's definitely a great honor and achievement, and it will be with me no matter what I do, or what I've done."

Chang is diminutive at 5 feet 8 and 135 pounds, and he was seeded only 15th. But he accomplished a series of unforgettable upsets in seizing the title — and the winner's check of $291,752 — finishing the tournament with four consecutive matches of at least three hours. In the round of 16 he defeated Ivan Lendl, the No. 1 player in the world, over five agonizing sets as he suffered spasms so badly in both legs that he could not sit down during changeovers.

Following his four-set semifinal victory over Andrei Chesnokov of the Soviet Union, Chang again suffered cramps and was treated for physical exhaustion. In Edberg he defeated the No. 3-ranked player, and the third seed in the tournament.

"I never thought he could win," said Trabert, who was here working for Australian television. "... He had a lot of courage. It would have been very understandable for him to slide into the twilight."

However, it was Edberg, a polished serve-and-volley player with titles in three Grand Slam events, who failed physically. The Swede was so exhausted and drawn by their frantic, lengthy rallies that at one point he seemed groggy and unaware of his surroundings. Twice they played 18-point games before Chang held serve. The fifth game of the final set was a 14-pointer, before Chang held his serve again for a 4-1 lead that drained Edberg once and for all.

He stood aimlessly at the baseline staring into space, until the chair umpire reminded him that he could sit down, it was time for the changeover.

"I really felt I had the match, and I let it slip away," Edberg said. "I was tired. By the time I got my strength back, it was too late."

Edberg swept seven straight games in winning the second set and taking a 3-0 lead in the third. He had 10 break points over the course of the fourth but could not convert one.

"I really thought the match was gone," Chang said. "I just tried to hang in there. And then maybe Stefan gave me an opening."

Chang committed 27 unforced errors, to 68 for Edberg. He connected on 82 percent of his first serves, to 58 percent for the Swede. Chang converted seven of his 17 break points, with Edberg six of 26.

Chang was a calculating and seldom nervous player in the two weeks here, and he lifted his game to every big point. In victory he was almost detached, pumping his fists once at his parents, Betty and Joe Chang, his clay court coach, Jose Higueras, and his agent, Jeff Austin of the Washington-based firm Advantage International. As he calmly collected his silver trophy, he pulled out a piece of paper with prepared notes.

His disturbing sureness had caused Lendl to double fault on match point when Chang crept impudently to within a yard of the service line. Today he stood well inside the baseline as he took Edberg's huge serves on the rise and slammed them back at his feet.

Chang won the first set in 32 minutes, taking a 5-0 lead before Edberg held serve. Chang actually went up by a break, 3-2, in the second set with four straight baseline winners before Edberg began moving his feet and retrieving volleys. Edberg promptly broke back to even the set, the first of seven straight games he would win.

He took the last four in the second, and three more to open the third, employing angled volleys more fit for Wimbledon, and closed out the third at 6-4.

When Edberg broke serve to open the fourth set, Chang appeared out of the match. He won just one point in the game, on Edberg's deep forehand, before Edberg took his 1-0 margin with a gorgeous angled touch volley off of Chang's weak lob.

But Edberg lost his grip in the next game. Although he went up, 30-0, Chang won the next four points. Break point was spectacular, a short backhand cross off of Edberg's second serve that left him standing still. The next game was one of their 18-pointers, a marathon of six deuces. Edberg had four break points, and Chang slipped all of them. Chang held on what was his fourth game point, set up by a diving backhand volley. Edberg gave up the game meekly, with a sliced backhand return into the net.

In the seventh game Edberg had five break points, including three at 0-40, and in the ninth game he had one more. All of them were smothered by Chang or killed by Edberg's own hand. Edberg opened the set's deciding 10th game with a double fault, and from there Chang wrested the set from him with scarcely believable, smoking returns.

"A couple of points inspired me to try harder than I had been trying already," Chang said. "A chance went through my head; I started to believe I could come back."

But Edberg broke Chang to open the fifth set. He finally converted on what was his 13th break point, to end yet another 18-point game. When Chang rushed to the net in desperation, Edberg lifted a backhand lob that spun away for a winner and a 1-0 margin. In the next game, however, Chang created double break point when he drove two more blistering backhand returns at Edberg's ankles. He claimed the game and evened the set at 1 when he nimbly reached Edberg's drop shot and replied with an angled drop of his own.

Edberg dug himself a 0-40 hole in the fourth game with two errors into the net and a double fault. Chang then broke with a lob that went spinning away for 3-1. Edberg, exhausted, made his last stand in the 14-point fifth game, only to relent as he allowed Chang to come back and hold serve from 15-40. He did it himself, driving a backhand in the net and a forehand way deep. Chang went on to hold after four deuces on two more of Edberg's tired-armed errors — backhands into the doubles alley.

The set was then beyond repair at 4-1, and Edberg stood still at the baseline, looking so lost. "He played a lot of tough matches and kept coming back all the time," Edberg said of Chang. "You have to admire him a little bit."