VS SUE BARKER
Hana Mandlikova, who became top-seeded when Austin withdrew, also did not want to talk about injury or illness after routing Great Britain’s Sue Barker, 6-0, 7-5, in the second match of the night. “I’m sick of my hand. I don’t want to talk about my hand. Let’s go talk about tennis,” Mandlikova said.
Play she did Hana won the first 10 games of the match before Barker broke serve in the fifth game of the second set.
She has been bothered by a tender right hand and had it checked by doctors before she won the title last week at the Houston stop. “When you’re leading 6-love, 4-love, it’s hard to keep your concentration,” Mandlikova said. “She hit some good forehand shots her best shot in the second set and I lost my concentration.”
RENEE BLOUNT
The promoters of this seemingly – star-crossed women’s tennis tournament must have had a few anxious moments when Hana Mandlikova went down with an injured right foot Thursday night.
Despite suffering what was diagnosed as an injury to her right Achilles tendon Mandlikova coasted to a 6-3 6-2 victory over Renee Blount Thursday night in a second-round match.
Mandlikova won the first three games of her match with Blount in cruising to a 6-3 win in the first set;
Then in the first game of the second set, Mandlikova jammed her foot after running to the net and reaching to her right for a Blount volley.
The match was delayed for about 10 minutes while Mandlikova’s foot was examined.
She returned to complete a convincing straight-set triumph : “It doesn’t bother me I didn’t feel it” said Mandlikova afterward.
As if to prove her assertion, Mandlikova and Betty Stove later won a doubles match Over Glynis Coles and Catherine Tanvier 6-3 7-5.
Dr Steve Bramwell said the extent of Mandlikova’s injury wouldn’t be known until she could be examined Friday at the University of Washington Sports Medicine Clinic.
“She could be gimpy for awhile or it could just be a day by day thing” said Bramwell. “It may be sore but we’ll just have to see how it feels. She can be iced and taped. She could probably gut it out — and probably will”
Mandlikova needs a quick recovery with what appears to be a tough quarterfinal match scheduled with Hanika Friday evening.
QF DEFAULT
Hana Mandlikova withdrawing from the singles competition : she suffered a sprained ankle during Thursday night’s match against Renée Blount and yesterday the ankle was stiff and swollen. Mandlikova is the No 1 seed and she becomes the fifth prominent performer to bow out. The major difference was what Mandlikova 19 at last showed up here. Austin, Chris Evert Lloyd, Billie Jean King and Andrea Jaeger didn’t. So West Germany’s Sylvia Hanika gained a free pass into tonight’s semifinals. She was to meet the Czechoslovakian standout in last night’s final singles quarterfinal match. Instead Hanika, the No 6 seed, will square off against eighth seed Bettina Bunge in tonight’s second semifinal match.
Mandlikova’s injury occurred in the first game of the second set in her match agaist Blount; She finished the match and played doubles with Betty Stove later Thursday night. Yesterday? Hana had her ankle tightly taped as she attempted to practice. She discovered, when she tried to run from side to side or push off on the foot, it was painful. And more importantly, she lacked the mobility needed for her clash with Hanika. After the practice? when the tape was removed, the ankle stiffened more, forcing her decision to bow out.
“These injuries are unpredictable” said Dr Steve Bramwell of the University of Washington. Bramwell had examined her briefly on Thursday. “These are silent things. You never know what the ankle will be like the next day. It’s hard to say if playing doubles (Thursday night) hurt the ankle any more.”
Mandlikova planned to have the ankle stock in ice and elevated all night to see if she might be able to play doubles tonight. A decision on her condition will be made his morning;
Sylvia Hanika eventually won the event, beating Potter In straight sets 6-2 6-4 in finals.
