STEFAN EDBERG played what appears certain to have been the last competitive match of a glittering career in Malmo last night, losing in straight sets to Cedric Pioline, of France in the opening singles of the Davis Cup final.
In the second singles clash, Thomas Enqvist made matters all square, beating Arnaud Boetsch 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) to set up an intriguing weekend duel. Enqvist never looked back after breaking his opponent in the ninth game of the first set to win in two hours.
Former world number one, Edberg, playing in his farewell event, went down 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in two hours 27 minutes to French number one Pioline after suffering an ankle injury midway through the first set of their clash.
Immediately after the game, the Swedish team's media liaison officer, Jan Bergstroem, said Edberg's injury meant he would not now face Arnaud Boetsch in tomorrow's reverse singles as originally planned.
The defeat was a bitterly disappointing way for Edberg to bring down the curtain on his ten years at the top.
The 30 year old, one of the sport's all time greats with six Grand Slam titles, fell heavily in the sixth game of the match and badly twisted his ankle.
He returned to the court after a three minute time out to have the ankle strapped, but thereafter was limping badly against Pioline ranked seven places below him at 91 on the ATP computer.
"After the injury, I was unable to move for the rest of the match" a despondent Edberg said afterwards. "I carried on because it was the Davis Cup," he explained.
It will probably be replaced in Sunday's line up by Jonas Bjorkman, expected to partner Nicklas Kulti in the doubles.
When Edberg's injury struck the score was 3-3, with the Swede 0-30 on his service. Until then, both players had managed one break each. But once Edberg, jarred his ankle Piline, who had missed a worrying number of first serves at the outset, was able to grab full control of the match as he placed shots wide and deep, making his opponent do all the chasing.
Edberg, grimacing at times with pain, was unable to reach numerous low volleys from his opponent. He himself was forced to rely on a simple serve and volley recipe but was undone first of all by his lack of mobility, but also by a series of errors at the net.
Pioline meanwhile, roared on by a sizeable French following, broke serve in the eighth game of the first set to set himself up for the kill.
He broke again in the third game of the second set in which he brilliantly deployed a whipping forehand. Although Edberg bravely broke back, the French man was easily able to outlast him.
And he completed the job with breaks in the fifth and ninth, games of the third set.
. Ireland's leading player Scott Barron achieved an ambition on the Thailand satellite circuit by reaching his first Masters final.
The 21 year old won his semifinal when, after the Dubliner took the first set, his Japanese opponent Hideki Kaneko retired.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)