Edberg Again A Happy Birthday Guy Sixth-Seeded Swede Reaches Third Round Of Australian Open

Serenaded by fans singing “Happy Birthday” when he stepped on court Thursday, Stefan Edberg did what he’s always done on his birthday at the Australian Open - win.

Edberg, twice a champion in Australia, turned 29 with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory over Romania’s Adrian Voinea, nine years his junior.

“I had to work very hard because he’s a young and upcoming guy,” Edberg said. “He’s another one who could be a very good player. They’re young and hungry. I’m old and hungry.”

Edberg, who has never lost on his birthday, is convinced he’s still capable of winning another Grand Slam title. He’s won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open twice each.

“I believe I still can do it, if I’m playing well and I get a little luck with the draw,” said the Swede, who is seeded No. 6. “That’s very important to believe that, because if you don’t believe it, you can’t do it.”

Aaron Krickstein, once one of those young players whose future seemed golden before injuries took their toll, is still capable of pulling off the occasional upset. He knocked off No. 11 Wayne Ferreira, a semifinalist in Australia in 1992, 6-3, 6-7 (10-8), 7-6 (7-4), 6-3. Ferreira had an astonishing 100 unforced errors, believed to be the most by anyone in four sets since records have been kept.

Patrick McEnroe, who upset No. 3 Boris Becker in the first round, beat Jeremy Bates 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 and was treated for heat exhaustion after the match.

No. 8 Todd Martin suffered a nosebleed in the second set but had little other trouble beating Jean-Philippe Fleurian 6-4, 6-2, 6-3.

No. 3 women’s seed Jana Novotna, who advanced to the third round with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over fellow Czech Helena Sukova, believes she’s capable of winning her first Grand Slam title after coming so close in the Wimbledon final in 1993 and at the U.S. Open semifinal last fall.

American Marianne Werdel Witmeyer, who beat Gabriela Sabatini in the first round, won again, 7-5, 6-3, against Korean Park Sung-Hee.

Mary Pierce, the French Open finalist last year, also is seeking her first Grand Slam title. Pierce remembers how doggedly her father pushed her, hour after hour, day after day, for eight years. She hasn’t forgotten him screaming at her, taunting her, goading her.

Banned from watching his daughter at tennis tournaments because of his disruptive behavior toward her and her opponents, Jim Pierce remains on the outside looking in from far away.

Yet, there is one thing that Mary Pierce doesn’t lament about their relationship.

“He pushed me really hard, which I don’t regret,” she said after reaching the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Elna Reinach. “He gave me the hard work ethic. In the eight years that I was with him (as coach), I probably played 15 years worth because I put so many hours in. I perfected my strokes pretty much then.”

Though she once hired a bodyguard to keep her father away from her and her mother, Pierce is not completely estranged from him.

“I talk to my dad,” she said. “Not every day, but I talk to him often sometimes.”