Hana Mandlikova showcases her dominant form by defeating top-ranked players like Martina Navratilova and Catarina Lindqvist to clinch victory in 1985 Princeton US Indoors the U.S. Women’s Indoor Tennis Championships, highlighting her resilience and skill on the court.
Round 1vs Marcella Skuherska : “Mandlikova Dominates Skuherska in 1985 Princeton U.S. Indoors Opener”
Fourth-seeded Hana Mandlikova of Czechoslovakia defeated countrywoman Marcella Skuherska 6-0, 6-2 in a 40-minute match, losing only 11 points in the opening set.
“She’s No. 5 on the Czech rankings, but she did not play very well today and I served very well,” Madlikova said.
Round 2 vc Alycia Moulton: “Mandlikova Prevails in Serve-and-Volley Duel, Overcomes Moulton in 1985 Princeton U.S. Indoors”
Mandlikova, who upset Chris Evert Lloyd in her last tournament, outfought Alycia Moulton in a serve-and-volley duel that had the Czech rally in the second-set tiebreaker to win 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). The fourth-seed came back from an 0-3 deficit in the tiebreaker. Mandlikova wrapped up the match with five winners to go along with a double fault by Moulton.
Quarterfinals vs Sylvia Hanika : “Mandlikova Dominates Hanika to Secure Semifinal Clash with Navratilova at 1985 U.S. Indoors”
Fresh from her upset of Chris Evert Lloyd in the Virginia Slims of California last week, Hana Mandlikova continues to roll. Mandlikova now must keep the wheels of success grinding against Martina Navratilova in today’s semifinal of the $150,000 U.S. National Indoor tennis championships.
Top-seeded Navratilova’ survived a three-set scare last night from unheralded Gigi Fernandez of Puerto Rico while No. 2 Wendy Turnbull and No, 3 Pam Shriver were upset in earlier quarterfinals. Navratilova, the defending champion, was pushed hard before defeating Fernandaez 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 in 92 minutes.
Fourth-seeded Mandlikova was impressive in throttling Sylvia Hanika of West Germany 6-1, 6-3 in her quarterfinal yesterday. During one stretch, she dropped only three points in five service games. Mandlikova won her sixth of 10 meetings with Hanika by mixing up her serves and ground strokes. Two service breaks in each set gave Mandlikova the triumph in 70 minutes
Semifinals vs Martina Navratilova: “Mandlikova Stuns Navratilova, Advances to Final in 1985 U.S. Indoors”
Martina Navratilova says she’s going to have to do some soul-searching after losing only her fourth singles match in two years. Fourth-seeded Hana Mandlikova upset the world’s top-ranked female player, 7-6, 6-0 last night in the US. Women’s indoor tennis championships to advance to the final against sixth-seeded Catarina Lindqvist cf Sweden.
Lindqvist, who beat Mandlikova in three sets at the Virginia Slims of Florida tournament in January, defeated unseeded Catherine Tanvier, 6-1, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
“I just couldn’t believe I lost the first set after having so many chances,” said Navratilova.
“Of the six games she won to get to the tiebreaker, five went to deuce and four I had game points in.”
Navratilova said the loss in the tiebreaker left her empty for the second set, and she lost it in just 18 minutes. That’s right, 18 minutes.
“My heart was not there in the second set,” she said. “I certainly have some soul-searching to do because that’s not me.”
Mandlikova said she was lucky to win the first set from her former countrywoman.
“She broke me to go up 5-4 and I broke back,”
said Mandlikova.
“I played very good tennis, but usually she holds her serve and she didn’t do that and I hit some very good returns.”
Mandlikova, who has won all four of her matches this week in straight sets, opened up an early 3-0 lead, but Navratilova fought back to take a 4-3 lead in the set.
After Mandlikova broke Navratilova’s serve in the eighth game.the players alternated service wins to force the tiebreaker.
With Navratilova serving and down 5-4, Mandlikova broke two straight serves to take the first set.
“I couldn’t believe I lost the set after having so many chances.
I really felt emotionally spent after the first set,”
said Navratilova, who had difficulty converting break points throughout the match.
“I think if I had won the first set, I could have won the match.
There’s no doubt in my mind about that.”
Navratilova looked very tired in the second set, as she dropped six straight games in only twenty minutes.
“I have been playing too much.
I got talked into playing too many tournaments
and now I’ve learned my lesson,”
she said.
Mandlikova, who also defeated second-ranked Chris Evert-Lloyd last month in the Virginia Slims of California, will meet Caterina Lindqvist in today’s finals at noon.
Martina Navratilova has lost points before. She’s lost games and sets and matches. But during last night’s second set lost at love she lost heart.
Navratilova’s matches don’t usually last very long. And last night was no different. The quick serve and volley game, the percision shots were all there. Only thing was, most of them weren’t hers.
They belonged to Mandlikova.
“I played well enough to win,” said Mandlikova, who beat Chris Evert-Lloyd last month.
“I think she tried her best. She was a little mentally tired and I think everybody gets to that stage. I was in that stage too and you have to take advantage of it. And that’s what I did. Martina is a great champion, a great player. I’m just glad I had a good day.”
The good day took 75 minutes in all. The second set took just 18 minutes.
“I tried to come in which I didn’t do in the first set as much,” Mandlikova said.
“But in the second set I really tried to put pressure on her so she wouldn’t have time to get back into the match.”
On match point Mandlikova’s serve was called out but then called in. Instead, Mandlikova signaled to do the point over.
She won it anyway, drilling a cross court passing shot that Navratilova didn’t even go after.
But the first set wasn’t that way at all. It was a hard-fought set the kind of set that Navratilova expected.
“Hana and I have always had close matches,’ Navratilova said.
“For some reason I never play well against her. She’s such a streaky player. She either wins it or misses it It’s hard to get into a rhythm against her.”
Mandlikova was pushed to deuce immediately, but won the game with an ace. Navratilova didn’t fare as well and was broken at 30-40.
In the third game, Mandlikova was again in trouble, pushed to deuce and again hit an ace to win the game and take a 3-0 lead. But Navratilova wonthe next three games, breaking Mandlikova in the fifth at 30-40.
In the seventh game, Mandlikova was in trouble. She survived one break, but not the other and Navratilova went ahead, 4-3.
The lead didn’t last long when Mandlikova broke back in the next game. Navratilova had one game point and survived one break before succumbing.
In the 11th game, Mandlikova had trouble holding her serve and had a break against her. But she pulled it out with a drop shot winner to lead, 6-5.
Navratilova won the next game at love to send the set into a tiebreaker.
“I was more frustrated than anything,” Navratilova said.
“The six games she won to get to the tiebreaker, they all went to deuce. And four of them I had game points in. There were a lot of opportunities.”
The first point of the tiebreaker was spectacular. On Navratilova’s serve, the two exchanged shots at the net and what usually is a winner for Navratilova wasn’t. Instead, Mandlikova threw herself and racket at the ball and it popped over the net for a winner. Even Navratilova applauded.
“I was very lucky on the first point. I don’t mean lucky: I know what I’m doing.”
Navratilova served up an ace to tie the score at 3-3. And then, she was broken when Mandlikova hit a cross court backhand. Navratilova thought the shot was wide. She argued, to no avail.
“The two big points were the first point and then at three alL” Navratilova said.
“The guy didn’t call it That’s the way it goes. That’s the way it was going. And I just didn’t have it in me to keep fighting. It may not have made any difference the way she was playing.”
Navratilova, who trailed, 5-4, was broken on the final two points. It was only the first set but it was over for Navratilova.
“This match, I think if I had won the first set I would have won the match,” she said.
“There’s no doubt in my mind about that She was able to get through the first set and then it was all over.”
For Mandlikova, it’s not over. Not yet She still has to contend with Lindqvist a 6-1, 6-4 winner over CatherineTanvier.
Finals vs Catarina Lindqvist: “Mandlikova Clinches U.S. Indoor Title with Victory Over Lindqvist”
Fourth-seeded Hana Mandlikova, fresh off her victory over Martina Navratilova, defeated Catarina Lindqvist 6-3, 7-5 Saturday to capture the $150,000 U.S. Women’s Indoor tennis championship.
“I think my fighting spirit is much better than it was,” said Mandlikova. “If something doesn’t work, I don’t lose my head but I try my hardest.”
Mandlikova never appeared in jeopardy against her 21-year-old Swedish opponent, winning the first set “in 30 minutes.
The players split the first four games, with each woman losing service once. Mandlikova held service in the fifth game to take a 3-2 lead and broke Lindqvist in the sixth game to go up 4-2.
Lindqvist broke back in the seventh game to make it 4-3. But Mandlikova broke her in the eighth game to take a 5-3 lead and then held serve to win the set.
There were five service breaks in the second set, the most crucial coming in the 10th and eleventh games.
Trailing 5-4, Lindqvist reeled off four straight points to break Mandlikova, tying the match 5-5 with a backhand down the line.
“I didn’t have any confidence at all in my serve,” said Lindqvist. “First I tried to hit my serve in, and she hit winners. Then I had to go fffr winners myself.”
Mandlikova came right back in the next game and took a 0-40 advantage before Lindqvist rallied to bring the game to deuce. But the Czechoslovakian ripped a cross-court winner and broke the 5-foot-5 Swede, who botched a return.
“When it was five all I was not nervous at all,” said Mandlikova.
GENERAL BILAN
At Princeton University, a heritage steeped in tradition adds special significance to a wide variety of annual events reunions, the alumni parade or the yearly Harvard or Yale football games. This past week, Princeton may have established its newest tradition, the U.S. Women’s Indoor Tennis Championships. After a six-day stint at Princeton’s Jadwin Gymnasium, most of the players who participated in the Computerland-sponsored tournament have moved on to Dallas for another stop on the year-round professional circuit.
But, according to tournament and university officials, they may be back in Princeton next year. “We hope that on this first effort, if there were any shortcomings, we would be able to iron them out and do the very best to bring the tournament back,” said George Eager, Princeton’s director of communications. Eager said that Director of Athletics Robert Myslik, who will be in Egypt until late March, will be responsible for any future negotiations. But as a former tennis player, Eager said that such a tournament has brought a great deal of excitement to the Princeton community. “I think that my friends who played tennis and continue to play tennis are very excited. I hope that we can take the necessary steps on behalf of both the university and the community to get this back next year,” Eager said. Robert Reisler, the press coordinator for the tournament, said that the response from the Princeton community made this tournament more successful than most of the tournaments on the women’s tour. “In a lot of tournaments, afternoon sessions will bring in 12 people to see a match; we broke 1,000 for the semifinals and had six or seven hundred for each of the other days,” Reisler said. According to Reisler, Princeton is a perfect location for a major tennis tournament. “Princeton is a very tennis minded area. The people really understand and appreciate good tennis,” he said. Perhaps most importantly, the players seemed to agree with that opinion. Hana Mandlikova, the third ranked player in the world, expressed her gratitude to the community and fans following her 6-3, 7-5 victory over Catrina Lindqvist in Saturday’s finals. Of course, it is common practice for the finalists to express their appreciation to the fans and sponsors, but Mandlikova later repeated that not only she but most of the players felt very comfortable in Princeton. “I think everyone was really happy. The conditions were very good. I hope we will come back here next year, said Mandlikova, who stunned a pacKea crowd on Friday night as she overwhelmed defending champion Martina Navratilova. She then defeated the 21-year-old Lindqvist before an almost capacity crowd of 7,128. The many fans who came to see Navratilova in tne finals were not totally disappointed, though. Following the nationally televised singles finals, during which Navratilova shared the commentator’s booth with Tony Trabert and Virginia Wade, Navratilova teamed with Pam Shnver to win the doubles championship, defeating Marcella Mesker and Elizabeth Sayers-Smylie, 7-5, 6-2. “We’re tickled with everything – the players, the crowds, the ticket sales,” Reisler said at the conclusion of the final day of matches. “We thought we knew what kind , of response we would get and we were right.” L
SCOREBOARD
US INDOORS
- Princeton, N.J. – March 4-10, 1985
- $150,000 – Princeton University – Indoor Sporteze
singles #4
- R1 : + Marcella Skuherska 6-0 6-2
- R2 : + Alycia Moulton 6-2 7-6(3)
- QF : + Sylvia Hanika 6-1 6-3
- SF : + Martina Navratilova(1) 7-6(5) 6-0
- F : + Catarina Lindqvist(6) 6-3 7-5
doubles w/ Rosalyn Fairbank #3
- R1 : + Peanut Louie/ Kim Jones 4-6 6-3 7-6
- QF : – Ann Henricksson/ Wendy White 2-6 2-6
