Clerc, Arias Are Beaten in U.S. Pro Tournament

France’s Thierry Tulasne and Yugoslavia’s Bruno Oresar advanced to the quarterfinals with upset victories Wednesday in the $267,000 U.S. Pro Championships at Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, Mass.

In second-round matches, Tulasne, just two days shy of his 22nd birthday, eliminated two-time champion Jose-Luis Clerc of Argentina, while the 18-year-old Oresar ousted 1983 runner-up Jimmy Arias.

Tulasne barely beat a late-afternoon thunderstorm in beating the sixth-seeded Clerc, 6-3, 6-4, a couple of hours after Oresar had shocked the seventh-seeded Arias, 7-6, 7-6, in sets decided by identical 7-5 tiebreaker scores.

“I’ve been playing very well the last two months and I thought I had a good chance to win,” Tulasne said. “I beat him (Clerc) in Washington last year and in Rome two years ago. I think I also had an advantage here because I played a first-round match and he drew a bye. It’s always tough playing for the first time in a tournament.”

Clerc, the 1981 and 1983 U.S. Pro champion and a beaten finalist last year, had no excuses after bowing out in just 78 minutes.

“I felt nothing when I left the hotel, and I had nothing,” the 26-year-old Argentine said.

Oresar’s victory assured him of earning at least $2,800 for his initial visit to Longwood and it’s clay courts.

“I have no coach and no sponsor money,” Oresar said. “My parents are not rich, but I got the money to come here from them. I was just practicing, and the day before the tournament, they said I could play.”

Top-seeded Johan Kriek advanced to the quarterfinals of the Volvo Tennis Hall of Fame tournament at Newport, R.I., defeating Scott McCain, 6-3, 6-4.

Five other seeded players advanced to the quarterfinals. Second-seeded Tim Mayotte defeated Canadian qualifier Glenn Michibata, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1, and third-seeded Scott Davis beat Francisco Gonzalez of Paraguay, 7-6, 6-1.

Fourth-seeded David Pate downed Leif Shiras, 6-2, 6-2, and fifth-seeded Paul Annacone defeated qualifier Derrick Rostagno, 6-4, 6-4. Sixth-seeded John Sadri defeated New Zealand’s Russell Simpson, 6-4, 6-4.

Top-seeded Joakim Nystrom of Sweden beat fellow countryman Stefan Simonsson, 6-0, 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinals of the $150,000 Swiss Open tournament at Gstaad.