July 9-12 Seiko Australian Women’s Indoor, Sydney, Australia (Indoors) Status: Exhibition with prize money of $175,000. Winner $40,000, Ru $25,000 Singles (Draw=8) 1R: Pam Shriver d. Betty Stove 6-2 6-1 1R: Zina Garrison d. Mima Jausovec 6-3 5-7 6-1 1R: Kathy Rinaldi d Barbara Potter 5-3 retired 1R: Hana Mandlikova d. Joanne Russell 6-0 6-3 SF: Shriver d. Garrison 6-1 6-1 SF: Mandlikova d.Rinaldi 6-3 6-3 FI: Hana Mandlikova d. Pam Shriver 7-5 6-3 Doubles (Draw=4) 1R: Garrison/Rinaldi d. Potter/Shriver default FI: Zina Garrison/Kathy Rinaldi d. Hana Mandlikova/Betty Stove 6-4 6-2 [From AP wire reports, courtesy of HanaFan] Kathy Rinaldi had only 24 minutes to show the crowd her talent before her opponent, Barbara Potter, defaulted with an ankle injury in the $175,000 Seiko women’s indoor tennis tournament tonight. The 15-year-old Miss Rinaldi was leading, 5-3, in the match between Americans when Miss Potter told the umpire that she could not continue. Hana Mandlikova, plagued by a back problem since her 1981 Wimbledon final loss to Chris Evert Lloyd, has given the first real indication that she can reestablish herself as a force on the tour. The 20-year-old from Czechoslovakia scored a 7-5, 6-3 victory Sunday over Pam Shriver in the Seiko Ladies Indoor Tennis Classic. ”She’s a mystery to me,” Miss Shriver, of Lutherville, Md., said about Miss Mandlikova. ”She seems to hold back her shots until I have committed myself.” Miss Mandlikova shrugged off discussion of the injury and said she had been confident of beating Miss Shriver. ”I always feel very comfortable playing against her because she is basically a serve-and-volley player,” Miss Mandlikova said. Miss Mandlikova, a former Australian Open champion, picked up $40,000 for her victory. Miss Shriver got $25,000.
Quarterfinals : Hana vs Joanne RUSSELL
Hana Mandlikova, Boca Raton resident, trounced Joanne Russell, 6-0, 6-3, to reach the semifinals of the Ladies Indoor Classic tennis tournament last night. Pam Shriver, of Baltimore, and Zina Garrison, of Houston, had reached the other semifinal earlier. Mandlikova will meet 15-year-old Kathy Rinaldi, of the U.S.
“I played well, but I’m not used to doing nothing for four months, and I still need tournament practice,” Mandlikova said. “I played well at Eastbourne, the tournament before Wimbledon, and then I played dreadfully at Wimbledon. But I hope to do well in the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadow.”
Semifinals : Hana vs Kathy RINALDIIn the other semi final, Mandlikova beat 15-year-old American Kathy Rinaldi 6-3, 6-3. Rinaldi had opportunities to take the initiative during the 58-minute match, but she was erratic and her lifeless second serve gave Mandlikova a string of easy winners. The 20-year-old Czech, a former winner of the Australian and French Opens, said last night she felt her game had now almost fully recovered from the setback of a serious back injury late last year. Mandlikova goes Into the final, which is worth $40,000 to the winner, with an unbeaten record against Shriver. In the doubles final, she will team with her coach, Dutch veteran -Betty Stove, against Rinaldi and Garrison
Finals : Hana vs Pam SHRIVER
Hana Mandlikova has had a year of tennis frustration, but she is obviously heading to the top. A back injury which threatened her career is now just a spectre. At the Hordern Pavilion last night she continued to boost her confidence with a superb 7-5 6-3 win over Pam Shriver in the final of the Seiko women’s indoor tournament.
That she won S40.000 for her straight-sets win was reason enough for celebration. But for the 20-year-old Czech, her performance in winning her three singles matches and playing so well in the doubles was the big result. Whether or not she believes it, her career was in jeopardy with the back injury which reduced her talent to an ordinary area.
But that marvellous skill and talent was evident in her win last night. She hit the ball with authority, apparently waiting for the last second for Shriver to commit herself before deciding to go forehand or backhand. As Shriver said later: “She is a mystery to me.” The way she plays her shots she will be a mystery to a lot of players Hana puzzle providing her back injury does not return. If she stays sound you can put down Hana Mandlikova as a Wimbledon winner within the next two years. Her ground ‘strokes last night were superb. She hit them with tremendous pace. The aggressiveness she displayed when she first came to Australia three years ago is still there.
For Shriver, one of the most delightful young women in tennis, ; the final was an ordeal. She has had a painful right shoulder injury for some time and ‘ it was there every time she served last night. She gave the match everything she had, but against an opponent as talented as Mandlikova it simply was not enough. The “babes” of the tournament, Kathy Rinaldi and Zina Garrison, produced an upset with a 6-4 6-2 win over Hana Mandlikova and Betty Stove in the doubles final, – It was a lucrative night for everyone. Mandlikova and Stove each picked up an extra S5.000 for the doubles. And the youngsters produced, some entertaining tennis to earn S8.000 each for the doubles, giving them $24,000 each for the two days”
Compiled from : The Age (Melbourne), The Sydney Morning Herald