Everything cooking nicely for McEnroe

The same American. Another Swede. Only one winner. Mikael Pernfors arrived with a physique more suited to delivering balls to a backline from behind a scrum rather than over a net.

John McEnroe bore more of a crackling, spikey presence in The Point. He progressed to making the umpire edgy and the line judges nervous. The 37-year-old Pernfors was easily dominated by the former world number one. At 6-1, 6-2, how easier could it have been?

Two service breaks in the first set and a serving game which was never threatened was followed by a similar pattern in the second set and after 45 minutes it was all over.

"You know . . . I was just getting the job done," said McEnroe. "Everything was cookin'. It's nice to hit the ball where you want it to go. It doesn't happen that often.

"When you are playing your best you can go out and put a heavy gear on but you hope you have one in the bag. I have another gear but not like I used to. The idea is not to lay it all out in the very first game. You lay enough out that you take charge and hope you have something in reserve."

But can you win it on Sunday? "I think so," he quipped without hesitation.

The win puts the favourite into the final on Sunday, provided he does not lose to John Lloyd, clearly a factor he himself hasn't remotely considered and one that will give the sponsors KPMG some degree of relief.

The principal afternoon session begged the question whether Bjorn Borg would allow himself be humbled by Lloyd, a player who never beat him in his prime and who is two years older than the former champion.

Borg's 11 singles Grand Slam titles to Lloyd's three mixed double Slams with Wendy Turnbull set quite a target for the former British number one. Could time really make players, so polarised at their peak, equal at last. Well, no.

And it showed in the first set as Borg engaged those famously bandy legs of his to travel the width of the court and hit a crosscourt forehand winner from outside the tramlines.

"I must check your birth certificate," piped Lloyd, astonished at the audacity of the Swede to dredge up at least one stroke on par with his regular fare of 20 years ago. Borg shrugged his rounded shoulders and straightened the lace on his shoes bearing his own logo. His mantra this week has been that he has nothing to prove, has no regrets and couldn't be bothered travelling any more to beat his friends for money. Who is to argue ?

Lloyd, whose career peaked as Australian Open finalist in 1977, knew his goose was cooked early in the match. Borg broke serve for 4-2, served three consecutive aces for 5-2 and saw out the first set 63. The second was no different, Borg keeping a safe distance, picking it up when required and controlling the game for a 6-4 win in barely over an hour.