It was arrivederci Roma, as the women moved three hours north to the seven green hills of Perugia, in the hopes of a better appreciation from Italian fans.
QF :
Fourth-seeded Hana Mandlikova edged fellow Czechoslovakian Renata Tomanova 7-6, 6-1 in a quarterfinal match at the $100,000 Italian women’s championships Friday. –
Mandlikova fought back from a 5-3 deficit in the first set and faced two set points against her in the tie-breaker before finally clinching the set when a Tomanova forehand passing shot down the line failed two feet beyond the baseline.
In the second set, Mandlikova broke Tomanova in the second and fourth games and held the fifth for a 5-0 lead. Tomanova‘s only game in the second set came in the sixth.
Mandlikova won the match in the seventh game when on her third match point she hit a backhand cross court passing shot that caught Tomanova out of position. “It is always difficult to play someone from your own country,” said Mandlikova. “But I don’t let it put pressure on me before the match.”
SF :
Stating her motivation was back, “I had desire in every match this week and I haven’t had that for an entire tournament in over a year and half,” Evert claimed her first title in nine months with two gutsy wins in her last two matches, after 94 days away returning May 7 with a 1r loss in doubles (w/duPont).
In the semis against Mandlikova, Evert broke once to lead 5-4 en route to the opener, Hana retaliated with a break in the fourth game of the second set and broke again to open the third.
Down 0-2, Evert broke back and broke again to lead 5-3, saving a break point in the final game.
Evert-Lloyd, who lost in the semifinals of this tournament last year to the eventual champion, Tracy Austin, will play Romania’s Virginia Ruzici in the finals today.
After trading service breaks in the opening set, Evert-Lloyd broke Mandlikova in the ‘crucial ninth game to take a 5-4 lead and held her own serve in the 10th game to win the first set 6-4.
The only service break of the second set came in the fourth game when Mandlikova broke Lloyd to take a 3-1 lead.
Both players held service in the rest of the second set, and Mandlikova served out the set in the ninth game to take it 6-3.
Mandlikova jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third set after breaking Evert-Lloyd in the first game. The American broke back in the fourth game and after trading service breaks in the fifth and sixth games, Chris Evert-Lloyd came up with the decisive break in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead. Evert-Lloyd served for the match in the ninth game, and faced a break point against her at 30-40, but a Mandlikova‘s forehand sailed long over the baseline to bring the score back to deuce. Chris Evert-Lloyd clinched the match on her first match point when Hana Mandlikova hit a backhand down the line just six inches wide. “I feel lucky to have won,” Evert-Lloyd said.
F :
Chris Evert-Lloyd eventually won the finals against Virginia Ruzici.
Hana won the doubles event, teaming up with Renata Tomanova.