Hana Mandlikova wins in Atlanta after defeating in semis Chris Evert for the first time.
DAVISON'S TENNIS CLASSIC
Atlanta, Ge. - Sept. 22-28, 1980
$100,000 - Ind. Sporteze - Alexander Coliseum
scroll the board below from left to right
R1 | Laura DuPONT | W | 6-2 6-0 |
R2 | Wendy WHITE | W | 6-2 6-3 |
QF | Pam TEEGUARDEN | W | 6-4 6-1 |
SF | Chris EVERT-LLOYD | W | 6-1 6-4 |
F | Wendy TURNBULL | W | 6-3 7-5 |
1st RD vs LAURA DUPONT
18-year-old Hana Mandlikova beat Laura DuPont 6-2, 6-0 in a late afternoon match Wednesday.
2D RD vs WENDY WHITE
In Thursday's evening matches, third-seeded Hana Mandlikova played near flawless, overpowering tennis to beat Wendy White of Atlanta 6-2, 6-3 before about 5,000.
White, who had lost in three sets to Mandlikova at Wimbledon this summer, never seemed to get her game going, making un-forced errors when opportunities came up for breakthroughs. "I felt more tired tonight" said White, who beat Rosie Casals in a three-set 2-hour match Wednesday night.
QF vs PAM TEEGUARDEN
Mandlikova, a 6-4, 6-1 winner over veteran Pam Teeguarden in the Davison's Classic quarterfinals Friday night before about 4,500 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum, will get a chance to beat the person she considers No. 1 in the world despite a No. 3 computer ranking Chris Evert Lloyd, in Saturday's 7 p.m. semifinal. Evert, playing close to her US. Open form, got past sixth-seeded Kathy Jordan 6-4, 6-1.
"Hana's the hottest player now as far as players coming up in the rankings," said Evert-Lloyd. "I'm glad I played someone like serve-and-volleyer Kathy Jordan tonight to prepare for her."
Mandlikova started out stiffly Friday but began serving better in the second set She has said she feels no pressure going into matches because, "I'm still going to the top."
SF vs CHRIS EVERT-LLOYD
Forget Sunday's final. Forget every other win Hana Mandlikova has had in this or any of the past four tournaments. Saturday night the 18 year-old Czech accomplished something she had so longed to do beat a "baseliner."
And that the baseliner happened to be Chris Evert Lloyd, the player who beat her in the U.S. Open, was important. But not most important. For Evert really was just a venerable pawn in Mandlikova's well-planned strategy to reach a new level of tennis, which she had to have done with the 6-1, 6-4 upset in the Davison's Tennis Gassic's semifinal before about 6,000 at Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
Mandlikova, the third seed behind Lloyd and Billie Jean King, played a powerful, patient game to reach her fourth final of the past five tournaments. Sunday she'll play fourth-seeded Wendy Tumbull, who beat fifth seed Dianne Fromholtz 6-4, 6-3 in the afternoon semifinal.
"First time time I beat a baseliner," said Mandlikova, who was 0-4 against Evert-Lloyd, although all matches went three sets. She has never defeated Tracy Austin, but has two wins over Martina Navratilova. "Always I lose to Tracy, to Chris in three sets. I was very hungry to beat her."
After her backhand volley grazed the side line at match point, Mandlikova's arms shot up into a huge V, bridged by her racquet. She smiled a smile that ought to last through the plane trip to Prague Sunday night, regardless of the outcome of the final with Turnbull a player she beat in straight sets last week at Las Vegas.
"I was hoping she'd miss a few more first serves," said Evert-Lloyd, who was calm after the match, but anxious to get home and work on her game. "Her serve is better than Martina's. She has an excellent slice backhand, and on this court sliced balls skid."
"I won the first game of the second set," said Mandlikova. "Every match before I lost the first game. It was very important. I got confidence after winning that, and I knew I could beat her."
Serving and volleying her way to 4-1 (breaking in the fourth game), Hana broke again in the sixth game after 7 deuces, and served out the next game, conceding just one of the five points to date on her serve.
The first six games of the second set all went against serve (the fifth game won by Mandlikova was another marathon – this time 8 deuces), but that only prompted Evert to take a 4-3 lead, holding from 0-40.
Just when it looked like the match might split sets, Mandlikova held easily, broke Evert to 30 and rescued 15-40 in the final game, the winning point was a backhand volley into the deuce court.
“I’ve always thought Hana was one of the most talented players,” said Evert. “It was just a matter of time before she beat me. »
FINAL VS WENDY TURNBULL
The 18-year-old Czechoslovakian had come back from 2-5 in the second set of the Davison's Tennis Classic final to defeat Wendy Turnbull 6-3, 7-5 before 4,500 at Tech.
For Mandlikova, Sunday's final must have been anticlimatic after her upset of top-seeded Chris Evert Lloyd the night before.
Sunday, Mandlikova was expected to win. No problem, as Slavics are prompt to say. Although she and Turnbull are ranked one spot apart (No. 6 and 7, respectively, on the computer), Mandlikova's game is heading straight up, while 27-year-old Tumbull's may have reached its peak.
The first set wasn't much trouble for Mandlikova, as she broke the Australian's first serve and held twice to go up 3-0. Turnbull had a break point at 3 5, but Mandlikova, relying on what is fast becoming the best first serve in women's tennis, won the next three points with service winners.
With Turnbull up 1-0 in th second set, Mandlikova's problems began. She wasn't moving as well as the night before, and more than not, her drop volleys sunk on her racket. She missed four consecutive first serves and ended up behind 30-40. She got to deuce with a volley winner but lost the advantage on a Turnbull passing shot. She double faulted to lose her serve, going for. an ace wide on the second serve instead of hitting her normal topspin.
Turnbull, who had been serving well most of the match, held to go up 3-0. She had a chance to go up 4-0 on two break points against Mandlikova, but she dropped one backhand into the bottom of the net and another into a banner behind the linesmens chairs.
She held twice more, however, to lead 5-2 before the downfall came.
Mandlikova won her serve (for a 3-5 score) and then broke Turnbull at love with a combination of good returns of first serves and Turnbull's mental wanderings. On Turnbull's next serve, which could have given her the set, she got down 0-40. But she scrambled back to deuce and got an ace on Mandlikova's fourth break point. She turned her racket on Mandlikova in mock-machine gun fashion after the Czech got a break on a net-cord passing shot and then, without regaining concentration, double faulted away the game, and essentially, the match.
Mandlikova weathered a few bad calls to hold serve for the win.
Compiled from : The Atlanta Constitution, The Miami Herald, Inside Women's Tennis, John Dolan's "Women's tennis 68-84
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