To China With Love-15

"I couldn't possibly get mad at any of them," said Brad Drewett of Australia. "They all looked so innocent in their white hats tied under their chins. They took everything so seriously."

There were three Chinese in the 32-player draw, all admitted as wild cards, and, as expected, none won a match. Well, not exactly. Xie Zhao advanced to the second round when his West German opponent, Andreas Maurer, had to retire because of heat prostration. Zhao was unable to collect his $744 in earnings because he is still an amateur. The Chinese national champion, 27-year-old Xu Meilen, admitted he was envious of players able to travel the pro circuit and hoped one day he and his countrymen could do the same. "Perhaps this is the beginning," he said. "Perhaps someday we will play at Wimbledon. Perhaps we will even win."

Connors was clearly the star of the show. Leave it to Jimbo to give the crowd a flash of show biz. In his semifinal match against Moor, Connors froze in midstep when the umpire reversed a linesman's call. Turning his racket, he pointed the handle at the umpire and made as if to gun him down. Familiar stuff in many parts of the world, but unheard of in China. The laughter from the crowd can best be described as nervous.