Hana Mandlikova Claims Jason Women’s Tennis Classic Title with Victory over Pam Shriver at 1987 Openbrisbane
Hana Mandlikova warmed up for the Australian Open at the 1987 Openbrisbane with a convincing three-set win over American Pam Shriver in the Jason women’s tennis classic final at the Milton courts here yesterday. In a match delayed by rain the Czech star, who has applied for Australian citizenship, won 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. .
Hana has applied to become an Aussie:
Czechoslovakia’s Hana Mandlikova, the world’s fourth-ranked woman tennis player, has applied to become an Australian citizen. And she wants to live in Sydney. Mandlikova confirmed in Brisbane yesterday that she had applied for naturalisation. “She has nothing to hide,” her coach, Betty Stove, said as the two chatted beside the Milton courts here. The 24-year-old Czech said that if her application was successful, Sydney would become her home.
“I fell in love with Sydney when I first went there as a 16-year-old, Mandlikova said.
“And Bondi Beach,” Stove interjected. Mandlikova laughed and said she had photographs of Sydney all over her room at home (she lives in Prague), with a large picture of the Harbour Bridge as the most prominent. If Mandlikova’s application for naturalisation is approved, Australian citizenship is normally granted about three months later. The applicant can, however, take up residence once the application is approved, Mandlikova married a Czech-born Australian, Jan Sedlak, earlier this year.
Mandlikova has spent the past fortnight on the Gold Coast, playing a little tennis, swimming, sailing and windsurfing. She is in Brisbane for the Jason Two Thousand Women’s Classic, which starts at the Milton courts on Monday. ! It is part of her preparation for the Australian Women’s Tennis Open, next month. Mandlikova has been one of the world’s leading women players since she won the Australian and French Opens as a teenager. In fact, her first major victory was in the Toyota Classic in Kooyong on one of her first visits to Australia.
She enjoyed the situation later in the week when spectators conscious of her application for Australian citizenship, barracked for her by calling out “Come on, Aussie”.
2D round Hana Mandlikova vs Marie-Christine Calleja
Hana Mandlikova Triumphs in Homecoming Match at 1987 Openbrisbane : Defeats Calléja 6-0 6-0
After the media uproar caused by her application for Australian citizenship, Hana Mandlikova is back on the court. Her first home match in front of her home crowd went off without a hitch. She inflicted a severe 6-0 6-0 defeat on France’s Marie-Christine Calléja.
Calm and concentrated, she kept pace with the Frenchwoman, who was never able to get back into the match. The Milton Center crowd is ecstatic at the success of this new local girl.
3rd round Hana Mandlikova vs Regina Marsikova
Top Seed Hana Mandlikova Advances to Quarter-finals of Jason 2000 Women’s Tennis Classic at Milton
Top seed Hana Mandlikovawon through to the quarter-finals of the Jason 2000 women’s tennis classic at Milton yesterday. Fellow Czech Regina Marsikova pushed the world No. 4 in their third-round match on centre court Mandlikova took the first in a tie-break but stormed through the second 6-0 almost as revenge for the first set
“I did not expect Regina to play so well,”Mandlikova admitted after the match.
“Then I just served and passed a little better in the second set” In a warning to her quarter-final opponent either Canadian teenager Helen Kelesi or Manon Bollegraf, Mandlikova said she had improved with each match.
Quarterfinal Hana Mandlikova vs Helen Kelesi
Hana “Hurricaned”Kelesi at 1987 Openbrisbane
Top-seeded Hana Mandlikova defeated “Hurricane”Helen Kelesi6-3, 6-3 yesterday to advance to the semi-finals. Kelesi played mostly from the baseline, but lacked the variety of strokes needed to upset Mandlikova.Mandlikova faces compatriot Helena Sukova today. Sukova scored a 7-5, 6-3 victory yesterday over South African Rosalyn Fairbank.The other semi-final match has Americans Pam Shriver and Betsy Nagelsen Yesterday, Shriver beat West German Eva Pfaff 6-3, 6-4 in her quarter-final match, while Nagelsen defeated Australian Elizabeth Smylie 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
Semifinal Hana Mandlikova vs Helena Sukova
Hana Mandlikova Shows Incredible Comeback in Semifinals, Defeating Sukova 4-6 6-1 6-4 at 1987 Openbrisbane
In the semis, Mandlikova defeated Sukova 4-6 6-1 6-4 but was in trouble when Sukova led 4-1 in the third set. It was then that Mandlikova played the most brilliant and exciting five games of the tournament.Hardly making an error, clean winners, touch shots, placements and perfect losses enabled her to take the next five games for the loss of only five points against an opponent who was doing little wrong.
Mandlikova said beating Sukova boosted her confidence for facing Shriver.
“Shriver is a real serve and volleyer, and I had not played much of that style of tennis during the tournament before facing Helena,” said Mandlikova.
Shriver has lost seven of her nine meetings with Mandlikova in the past six years. “I had a complex about her, but not anymore,” Shriver said. “This will be the first time we have met on grass and whoever serves the best will win the match.”
Finale Hana Mandlikova vs Pam Shriver
Australian Dream: Hana Mandlikova’s Triumph in Jason Women’s Tennis Classic Final at 1987 Openbrisbane
Hana Mandlikova warmed up for the Australian Open with a convincing three-set win over American Pam Shriver in the Jason women’s tennis classic final at the Milton courts here yesterday. In a match delayed by rain the Czech star, who has applied for Australian citizenship, won 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. .
“I’d like to celebrate my Australian passport with a win in the Open in Melbourne,” said Mandlikova.
Living up to their high status in world rankings, the two girls ignored the slippery Centre court surface to play superb tennis. It had started as a damp, depressing day and 30 minutes before the scheduled start play looked impossible.
So Shriver and Mandlikova were permitted to simultaneously use the court for a 30-minute warm-up with their practice partners, Charlie and Michael Fancutt (Charlie hitting with Shriver).
The simultaneous hit-up could well be a first for women’s tennis.
But the drip-dry qualities of the Centre court and a sudden break in the weather saw the singles final start only 90 minutes late. Then, with her superb top-spin passing shots, Mandlikova broke service twice and had the first set in 26 minutes. But the magic and style that graced that set was quickly wiped away by Shriver, who showed her one brand mix of courage and skill “Hana played good stuff but I knew I still had a chance,” said Pam Shriver, who levelled at one-set all. The girl from Baltimore had shown that to cope with an onslaught such as that unleashed by Mandlikova, requires considerable physical strength and confidence. Shriver charged to the net and swamped Mandlikova with an avalanche of volleys.
In the third set, the game of the fleet-footed Mandlikova started to flow again with brilliant ground strokes and volleys. But in the end it was her excellent serving that won the day
“I should have climbed in right there but I played back on my heels,” Shriver said later. But never seriously contemplating defeat, Mandlikova hit back hard by breaking Shriver’s serve in the fifth game of the deciding set. Even then the match wasn’t over. Shriver climbed straight back out of the difficult situation to break service and level at three-games all.
But Mandlikova, controlling both wings beautifully, used her wickedly powerful backhand to perfection and took the set after being held to deuce.
“I feel I’m an Aussie already,” said mandlikova
“Pam is very popular here but I thought the crowd was on my side, certainly on Saturday 100 per cent “I hope to be taken as an Aussie. I love the country and I want people to accept me,” said Mandlikova, who recently married a former Czech who now runs a Sydney restaurant.
Doubles : victory for “The great survivors” at 1987 Openbrisbane
In doubles, Wendy Turnbull and Hana Mandlikova were “the great survivors” when their experience carried them through three close encounters to reach the final. In the semis, they saved a match point in the third set tiebreak before winning 4-6 7-6(3) 7-6(6) against Anne Smith and Kathy Jordan.
The final against Liz Smylie and Betsy Nagelsen, stopped by bad light at 3-all in the first set, was completed the following week in Sydney. Mandlikova and Turnbull won 6-4 6-3.
SCOREBOARD
JASON 2000 CLASSIC
- Brisbane, Aust. – Dec. 29, 1986- Jan. 4, 1987
- $150,000 – The Forum – Indoor Sporteze
singles seed : #1
- R1 : bye
- R2 : + Marie-Christine Calleja 6-0 6-0
- R3 : + Regina Marsikova 7-6(3) 6-0
- QF : + Helen Kelesi 6-3 6-3
- SF : + Helena Sukova(3) 4-6 6-1 6-4
- F : + Pam Shriver(2) 6-2 2-6 6-4
doubles w/ Wendy Turnbull(1)
- R1 : + Louise Allen/ Mary Dailey 6-3 6-3
- R2 : + Ann Henricksson/ Heather Ludloff 7-6 7-5
- QF : + Manon Bollegraf/ Helen Kelesi 6-7 6-3 6-4
- SF : + Kathy Jordan/ Anne Smith(4) 4-6 7-6(3) 7-6(6)
- F : Betsy Nagelsen/ Elizabeth Smylie(2) 6-4 6-3
