Ricardo Acuna

He told them about himself, how he had been like them. "I can help you," he said, "I can help you." One slept. Others stared, bored. He had planned today's class carefully: His students would relate to him. They would ask his advice about college. Then he would divide them into teams and lead them in a tic-tac-toe spelling game. They would compete fiercely. Excitedly. A girl in the front row studied herself in the mirror of her compact. She ignored him.

It was 6:45 a.m. Ricardo Acuna took his multivitamins with ginseng and gingko biloba. He climbed into his Hyundai Santa Fe and drove. The sun rose behind him, but the December air was thick with mist. He switched on KPFK-FM and listened to the news. Iraq. Fighting. Death. It had been a long semester. Today his students would take their final exams. They're struggling to read and write, he thought.

Ricardo Acuna began each class with 15 minutes of silent reading. They were his only moments of peace. His students selected paperbacks from racks along the wall behind them. As they read, Ricardo played John Coltrane on a little black boombox. Or Mozart. Or Billie Holiday. Sometimes Buena Vista Social Club. One day, Gusto Jimenez, 15, announced to the class that he had never read an entire book. "I've never done it, and I don't think I ever will." Everybody laughed.

Ricardo Acuna began each class with 15 minutes of silent reading. They were his only moments of peace. His students selected paperbacks from racks along the wall behind them. As they read, Ricardo played John Coltrane on a little black boombox. Or Mozart. Or Billie Holiday. Sometimes Buena Vista Social Club. One day, Gusto Jimenez, 15, announced to the class that he had never read an entire book. "I've never done it, and I don't think I ever will." Everybody laughed.

It was 6:45 a.m. Ricardo Acuna took his multivitamins with ginseng and gingko biloba. He climbed into his Hyundai Santa Fe and drove. The sun rose behind him, but the December air was thick with mist. He switched on KPFK-FM and listened to the news. Iraq. Fighting. Death. It had been a long semester. Today his students would take their final exams. They're struggling to read and write, he thought.

Ivan Lendl of Czechoslovakia survived three set points to defeat John McEnroe, 7-5, 6-4, Wednesday night. The victory gave Lendl the championship of the four-player Meadowlands Tennis Challenge at East Rutherford, N.J. It was their first meeting since Lendl dethroned McEnroe in the U.S. Open. Jimmy Connors won the consolation match, defeating Andres Gomez of Ecuador, 7-5, 6-3. There was no prize money. Instead, each player earned an undisclosed appearance fee.

Unseeded Leonardo Lavalle of Mexico defeated third-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5, Tuesday in one of four upsets in the second round of the $465,000 U.S. Pro Indoor tennis championship.

Top-seeded Stefan Edberg of Sweden reeled off the final 12 games Thursday to register a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Argentina's Marcelo Ingaramo and moved into the quarterfinals of the $231,000 Swiss Open at Gstaad, Switzerland. "I'm not happy with my play. I had many problems in the beginning," said Edberg, who trailed, 2-0, in the first set before his onslaught. "It's quite difficult to control the ball at this high level, and this does not help to rebuild my self-confidence."

Kevin Curren of South Africa and Pat Cash of Australia, the two highest-seeded players remaining in the Queen's Club men's tennis tournament at London, battled through to the third round Thursday. Curren, the No. 2-seeded player who is now favored to win the title after Wednesday's exit of three-time champion Jimmy Connors, struggled to a 7-6, 7-6 victory over Hank Pfister. Although hampered by a back problem, Cash, seeded No. 3, eliminated Vijay Amritraj of India, 6-2, 6-3.

Steffi Graf of West Germany, ignoring a doctor's recommendation not to play due to the flu, won her 46th straight match Thursday night with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria in the quarterfinals of the Virginia Slims tennis championships at New York. The next opponent for the defending champion will be fifth-seeded Pam Shriver, who upset third-seeded Chris Evert, 7-5, 6-4, in another quarterfinal of the $1-million tournament.

He told them about himself, how he had been like them. "I can help you," he said, "I can help you." One slept. Others stared, bored. He had planned today's class carefully: His students would relate to him. They would ask his advice about college. Then he would divide them into teams and lead them in a tic-tac-toe spelling game. They would compete fiercely. Excitedly. A girl in the front row studied herself in the mirror of her compact. She ignored him.

Wimbledon champion Boris Becker used a high-powered serve to defeat Brian Teacher, 6-4, 6-4, Wednesday night in the second round of the $375,000 Assn. of Tennis Professionals Championship at Mason, Ohio. "I was a little bit tired tonight," said the 17-year-old West German who had flown to Los Angeles between Monday's and Wednesday's matches to appear on the "Tonight Show." "I got back at 2 a.m. today." Still, he blistered Teacher with 11 aces.

John McEnroe will play Ivan Lendl today for the $110,000 first prize in the $250,000 Suntory Cup tournament at Tokyo. The loser gets $70,000. In Saturday's opening-round matches, McEnroe defeated Yannick Noah of France, 6-4, 6-4, and Lendl beat Andres Gomez of Ecuador, 6-3, 6-4. McEnroe is making his sixth appearance in the two-day tournament, in which four of the top men's players in the world compete each year. McEnroe reached the final three times and lost to Lendl last year, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.