Word: borg
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...Borg, 23, the icily self-composed Swede, was aiming to become the first man in modern Wimbledon history to win four consecutive singles titles.* He made it into the finals with an amazingly easy win over Jimmy Connors, 26, the temperamental American who won the title in 1974. Their eagerly awaited match turned out to be a reprise of last year's championship rout. Once again, Borg triumphed in straight sets with the loss of only seven games, and once again he needed a short time to do it-106 min., three less than last year...
...later, without showering, changing or talking to reporters. At the airport, he took a verbal swipe at newsmen-"You guys have all the answers"-while a male companion turned to photographers and offered to "bust your heads in." A London paper called Connors' getaway "an ungracious farewell," but Borg was more sympathetic: "I know how badly he wanted to win the tournament...
...Borg also beat Tom Gorman, 33, an unseeded American, and India's Vijay Amritraj, 25, en route to the finals. There his opponent was Roscoe Tanner, 27, a hard-serving Tennessean seeded fifth. Tanner's appearance in the finals was not altogether popular, since his triumph in the semifinals came at the expense of the tournament's giant killer: Pat DuPre, 24, a lanky (6 ft. 2½ in., 180 Ibs.) Belgian-born Alabaman who now lives in La Jolla, Calif. Ranked a lowly 28th in the U.S., DuPre tiptoed into the first round and ambushed fourth...
...certainly seemed charged up on Saturday, but not quite enough. With more than 15,000 spectators jamming Center Court, Tanner played superbly before Borg won in five sets, 6-7, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. His gambling power game kept Borg off balance, and his thunderball serves bailed him out of numerous trouble spots. But Borg was as relentless as ever, and worked skillfully on Tanner's weakest point, his backhand. After Tanner won a tie breaker to capture the first set, Borg breezed through the second, breaking service twice. Tanner came right back...
...match turned in the fourth game of the fourth set, when Borg staved off four game points and broke service to take a 3-1 lead. Borg broke Tanner again in the opening game of the last set, then fought off three break points in the next game to hold service. The American made two more strong runs at Borg, in the eighth and tenth games, but he could not punch home winners when he needed them. Said Tanner: "He's tremendous but not invincible." When it was all over, the usually undemonstrative Borg dropped to his knees, raised...