Hana beats Steffi Graf, Chris beats Sabatini, then beats Hana, then Martina who beats Sukova, that's the story of this 1986 French Open. Young blood was all over the place, but experience prevailed, Chris Evert winning again on her clay kingdom.
FRENCH OPEN
Roland Garros, Paris - May 26-Jun 8, 1986
$ 930,000 - Clay
Scroll the scoreboard behind from right to left
R1 | Sabrina GOLES | W | 6-7 6-3 6-3 |
R2 | Virginie PAQUET | W | 6-0 6-1 |
R3 | Regina MARSIKOVA | W | 6-1 6-2 |
R4 | Laura ARRAYA-GILDEMEISTER | W | 6-1 6-3 |
QF | Steffi GRAF | W | 2-6 7-6 6-1 |
SF | Chris EVERT-LLOYD | L | 1-6 1-6 |
Best of 1986 Roland Garros : 1st rd Mandlikova-Goles, R16 Evert-Sabatini, QF Graf- Mandlikova, SF Evert- Mandlikova and Navratilova-Sukova, Finals Evert-Navratilova
1st RD vs SABRINA GOLES
Mandlikova, the US Open champion last year, was down 5-1 in the first set to win 4 games in a row, before forcing a tiebreaker and looked erratic against Goles.
“It was a very tough match,” Mandlikova said. “She gets every ball back. I was very nervous and I didn’t play very good”
The winds on center court contributed to her troubles, Mandlikova said.
“The conditions were tough" she said "The wind was bad and I was serving badly. If I don’t serve well, it’s tough to put pressure on the other player!"
2d RD vs VIRGINIE PAQUET
Virginie Paquet was then an unknown french player, who had her only career win in Grand slam main draw in first round to meet Hana Mandlikova, n. 3 seed, on second round. Impressed by the occasionVirginie hadn't any time to find her game, and Hana breezed 6-0 6-1 through next round.
(NB : Virginie Paquet-Ottaway is the mother of top 50 ATP player, Arthur Rinderknech.)
3rd RD vs REGINA MARSIKOVA
Stepping onto the courts of Roland Garros again after 5 years of absence has a taste of rebirth for Regina Marsikova.
In the fall of 1981 she was found responsible for a car accident that resulted in the death of a person in Czechoslovakia.
Regina is imprisoned, then placed under house arrest for 4 years.
When in 1985 she is finally allowed to travel and resume her career, she starts again at the bottom of the ladder and eventually manages in a few months to re-enter the top 50.
But her game so effective on clay, which had allowed her to be at the gates of the top 10 in 1981 is no longer as hard-hitting against the best, she can do nothing in the second round against her friend and teammate Hana Mandlikova , who concedes her only 3 games.
4th RD vs LAURA ARRAYA-GILDEMEISTER
The only easy winners yesterday were No. 3 seed Steffi Graf and No. 5 seed Hana Mandlikova, who won hourlong matches,
Graf over Pam Casale, Mandlikova over Laura Gildemeister, always dangerous on clay and who beats her in Orlando 2 years ago.
Graf and Mandlikova will meet in Monday's quarterfinals. Evert Lloyd will play Carting Bassett,
QF vs STEFFI GRAF
Winning streaks are made to be broken: Steffi Graf's string of victories ended abruptly at 23 Monday when Hana Mandlikova beat the West German teen-ager 2-6 7-6 6-1 In the quarterfinals of the French Open.
Graf had a chance to make it 24 straight. She had match point and was serving at 5-4 40-30 in the second set.
After returning Graf's second serve, Mandlikova charged the net. Graf, trying for the winner, sent a forehand long.
"It's her game to come to the net. After that she started playing well,” the 14-year-old West German said.
“I knew I had to get the first serve In”
After that key point Mandlikova tied the set at 6-all and eventually forced a tiebreaker.
The Czech won the second set by winning the tiebreaker 7-2.
Mandlikova breezed in the third set, breaking Graf twice, to take a 4-0 lead and winning on a service break as well.
Graf had won four tournaments in a row, including victories in Ihe finals at Hilton Head over Chris Evert Lloyd and over Martina Navratilova at West Berlin.
She was the clear favorite coming to Paris
But the chance for the young West German to win a French Open title ended on the slow red clay of the center court at Roland Garros.
Mandlikova at 24 is a relative old-timer among the youngsters that had been making the news at the French Open.
But she thinks that may have helped her win.
“I think she was a little down after she lost the second set. In the third set I felt I had the advantage over her,” Mandlikova said. "When I was her age for example I didn't know how important winning the first game of the third set was"
“I had my chances After the match point she started playing better ,” Graf said.”I was confident Even at 5-5 (In the second set) I thought I still had a chance"
Despite ending the longest current winning streak in pro tennis Mandlikova said other victories have meant more.
SF vs CHRIS EVERT-LLOYD
Defending champion Chris Evert Lloyd stormed into her fourth consecutive French Open tennis championship final Thursday with a 6-1, 6-1 semi-final victory over Hana Mandlikova.
Fifth-seeded Mandlikova had the misfortune to aggravate an injury to her right hand midway through the first set and, while she continued playing exciting tennis, it was unclear to what extent she was handicapped.
Women's trainer Donna Pallulat told Mandlikova later that her injured finger would need X-rays before she could assess whether the Czechoslovak could play Wimbledon later this month.
Mandlikova's finger was badly bruised and scraped when she lunged to try to make a backhand save at game point, in the fourth game of the first set.
She had injured the same finger in her quarter-final match against West German teenager Steffi Graf.
"I couldn't hold the racket for my forehands and serves. It was really painful. "The last few games I was holding the racket with four fingers, but that's not an excuse."
Lloyd was in virtually complete command as she broke Mandlikova's serve in the first game and then cruised, before rain interrupted play for about 15 minutes.
"I was really psyched up for the match. Hana beat me the last two 'times we played and that gave me an incentive."
When play resumed, she broke Mandlikova again and then held her own serve for a 5-1 lead in the first set.
After taking the next game to four deuces on the Czechoslovak's serve, Evert-Lloyd took the set with a blistering forehand drive away to the left of court. Evert-Lloyd broke Mandlikova's serve again in the fourth game of the second set to take a 3-1 lead when Hana put a forehand wide.
After holding her own serve, Evert-Lloyd took Mandlikova to three deuces on the Czechoslovakia's next service game before clinching a 5-1 lead with a powerful backhand return.
A whiplash forehand gave the American match point at 40-0 on her next service game and she wrapped up the tie with a backhand that the dispirited Mandlikova made little effort to chase.
SF Helena SUKOVA vs Martina NAVRATILOVA
Navratilova, who has lost only once in 13 meetings with sixth-seeded Sukova, made repeated errors in the first set and seemed unable to find her rhythm during most of the match, which was interrupted for 20 minutes by rain. "I'm thrilled that I won because I could have lost that match very easily," said Navratilova after the two-hour contest, watched by a half-filled centre court. "I didn't expect her to play as well and come in as much. "She was not missing any shots and, on top of it, was hitting a lot of stretch drop volleys. She never has been that quick at the net."
Finals : Chris Evert-Lloyd vs Martina Navratilova
One year after their legendary finals, it’s again Chris and Martina at the conclusion of the tournament.
Less tension this time, because Chrissie was in outstanding form.
A slow start on the first set, Martina winning easily 6-2, but then Evert prevailed and even developped a more agressive game than usual.
She remains the uncontested Queen of Roland!
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