Leconte tips surly McEnroe

John McEnroe lost a tennis match Saturday, but at age 40 showedChicago he hasn't lost any of the cranky demeanor that marked hisprime years.

In the semifinals of the Nuveen Champions senior tournament atGrant Park, Henri Leconte of France defeated McEnroe for the firsttime in 18 career confrontations, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5. Leconte will meetTim Wilkison, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Mel Purcell, for the $50,000first prize in today's final at noon.

McEnroe played to the crowd while going ahead 5-2 in the openingset, asking the chair umpire if Leconte was within the rules to weara pink hat and flexing a bicep when a Leconte racket string broke onan attempted return.

But when …