French Open Tennis Championships : Injured Evert Ousted; McEnroe Routs Chang

Chris Evert, hobbled by a painful heel against an opponent less than half her age, was eliminated Saturday in the third round of the French Open tennis championships, a tournament she has won more than any other woman.

And, John McEnroe, seeded 16th, continued his comeback on clay by crushing 16-year-old Michael Chang of Placentia, Calif., 6-0, 6-3, 6-1, in the third round.

The third-seeded Evert, 33, saved four match points but lost to 16-year-old Arantxa Sanchez of Spain, 6-3, 7-6.

It marked the first time Evert had not reached at least the semifinals in the French Open, a tournament she has won seven times since she first played here in 1973.

Evert, whose heel was injected with cortisone, came back after facing the first of the match points against her at 6-3, 5-1. Sanchez won the tiebreaker, 7-4.

Because of a bone scan on her heel Friday, Evert had been granted a one-day postponement of the match.

Sanchez said the victory was “the most important thing in my life.”

Chang, who used to dream of beating McEnroe, got a lesson in reality. He won only 10 points in the opening set. “I haven’t been kicked that hard before,” Chang said. “It’s a good experience for me to see what the (former) No. 1 player in the world is like.”

The top-seeded players advanced, with Ivan Lendl eliminating Thierry Tulasne of France, 6-3, 7-6, 6-2, and Steffi Graf of West Germany ousting Nathalie Tauziat, 6-1, 6-3.

In other men’s matches, No. 4 Pat Cash, No. 5 Boris Becker and No. 14 Andrei Chesnokov eached dropped one set before prevailing. Cash downed fellow Australian Mark Woodforde, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-2. Becker of West Germany defeated Tomas Muster of Austria, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5, 6-3; and Chesnokov of the Soviet Union beat Eduardo Bengoechea of Argentina, 6-1, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0.

Seventh-seeded Kent Carlsson of Sweden swept Martin Jaite of Argentina, 6-2, 6-3, 6-1; and No. 11 Henri Leconte downed another Argentine, Horacio de la Pena, 6-4, 7-5, 6-1.

In third-round matches suspended by rain late Friday, ninth-seeded Andre Agassi beat Andres Vysand of the Soviet Union, 7-5, 6-3, 6-2, and third-seeded Mats Wilander made what he called probably his greatest comeback to defeat Slobodan Zivojinovic, 6-2, 6-7, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Wilander was trailing, 5-2, with Zivojinovic serving in the final set.

Women advancing to the quarterfinals were No. 4 Gabriela Sabatini, who beat Brenda Schultz of the Netherlands, 6-4, 6-1; Helen Kelesi of Canada, who beat Nicole Jagerman of the Netherlands, 6-2, 6-1; and Bettina Fulco of Argentina, who beat Conchita Martinez of Spain, 6-2, 6-4.