Tennis : Fernandez Gives Navratilova Scare; Turnbull, Shriver Lose

Top-seeded Martina Navratilova survived a scare Thursday in the $150,000 U.S. National Indoor tennis championships at Princeton, N.J., but both second-seeded Wendy Turnbull and third-seeded Pam Shriver were upset in their quarterfinal matches.

Navratilova was pressed all the way before beating Gigi Fernandez, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, in a match that lasted 92 minutes.

Fernandez, who ranks 32nd in the world, won the second set with two service breaks. The third set went on serve until Navratilova broke through on a disputed forehand down-the-line passing shot.

The players traded breaks in the seventh and eighth games before Fernandez committed two double faults in a concluding ninth game.

The next challenge for Navratilova will come today against fourth-seeded Hana Mandlikova, who easily reached the semifinals by defeating Sylvia Hanika of West Germany, 6-1, 6-3. During one stretch, the Czech star lost only three points in five service games.

Meanwhile, Turnbull, slowed by a bout with the flu, lost to 21-year-old Catarina Lindqvist of Sweden, 6-2, 6-2, in a match that lasted only 46 minutes. “I didn’t feel well,” the 32-year-old Australian said. “I was even considering defaulting at the start of the second set.”

Shriver was beaten by Catherine Tanvier of France, 7-6, 6-3. It was the first time the 19-year-old Tanvier beat a Top 10-ranked player. Shriver is ranked ninth, Tanvier 28th.