Emotional Becker Beats Lendl -- Aussie Win Is First For No. 1 Player

MELBOURNE, Australia - Boris Becker grabbed his first Australian Open title and leaped to No. 1 for the first time in his career as he overcame back spasms to beat Ivan Lendl with a diving, rolling net attack.

Becker shied away from the net in the opening set while troubled by his back, but after a quick massage and some stretches midway through the second set he roared back to beat the two-time defending champion 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 today.

Becker leaped in the air, heaved his racket high into the packed crowd of 15,000, then fled briefly from the court after his final forehand winner broke Lendl at 15-40 on a second match point.

The German returned moments later for the trophy presentation and was too emotional to express himself to the crowd.

``It's unbelievable for me at this moment,'' he said.

Becker, 23, won three Wimbledons and one U.S. Open, but this victory finally put him atop the men's ranking, displacing Stefan Edberg, who took the No. 1 spot from Lendl last summer.

Becker matched Lendl's nine aces, but won this match with his more dynamic play at the net, frolicking on the hard court as if it were Wimbledon's grass.

Lendl played superbly in the opening set, hammering winners from corner to corner while Becker struggled. Lendl finished off the set with his fourth ace, while Becker bellowed to himself in German about his poor play and kept flexing his back to loosen up.

Becker won just one of his five approaches to net in the first set and was still struggling early in the second set. After Lendl unleashed three more aces to hold to 2-2 in the second set, Becker stayed with him to hold to 3-2, then took off his shirt to get a courtside massage by a trainer.

Without taking an injury timeout, Becker recovered quickly and started playing more aggressively at the net.

Becker ventured to the net 14 times in the second set, winning five points in that fashion, and took the set by breaking Lendl with a lunging, stretching forehand volley on Lendl's forehand passing attempt.

Becker won all four of his previous Grand Slam matches against Lendl, beating him at Wimbledon in 1986, 1988 and 1989 and in a four-set final in the U.S. Open in 1989. They had split their 12 final matches before this tournament.

Lendl thought the key to the match was the first game of the second set, in which he squandered a break point after Becker's first double fault to 30-40. Lendl then hit a backhand down the line that was only inches wide.

``It was a great shot. He would not have gotten to it,'' Lendl said. ``If I would have broken ... it would have been a rout.''

Emboldened by his success at the net, Becker charged in 16 times in the third set, winning 10 of those forays, then closed out the set with a running forehand pass down the line and into the corner that broke Lendl's service and spirit.

``He was hitting 100 mph on some of his shots,'' Lendl said.

Becker served even harder than that as he uncorked four service winners and two aces and allowed only three points in his two service games of the fourth set.

In the fifth game, Becker saved two break points from 15-40 on a service winner, a backhand passing shot down the line that kissed the corner, a backhand crosscourt pass and his eighth ace.

The crowd erupted in a roar on the ace, as Becker closed in on victory with a 3-2 lead.

But Lendl, who escaped two match points against Edberg in the semifinals, did not fold easily. He held at love to 3-3, and the set stayed on serve until Lendl served the 10th game.

Becker took a love-40 lead on two errors by Lendl and a putaway volley set up by a big forehand approach shot.

Lendl saved one match point on a backhand crosscourt pass, but Becker closed out the match on Lendl's second serve on the next point when he drilled a forehand return down the line.