Rinaldi Advances to Semifinals With 6-1, 6-3 Win Over Jordan

Kathy Rinaldi won eight games in a row against a frustrated Kathy Jordan Thursday night to advance to the semifinals of the $500,000 Virginia Slims Championships at Madison Square Garden.

Rinaldi, who had lost her previous three matches to Jordan, including one last week in Dallas, was in control from the start as she routed Jordan, 6-1, 6-3.

In another quarterfinal match, Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia registered a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Catarina Lindqvist of Sweden.

Rinaldi, who celebrates her 18th birthday Sunday, will meet Sukova in one of Saturday’s semifinals. The other will bring together the winners of today’s matches between Martina Navratilova-Pam Shriver and Hana Mandlikova-Zina Garrison.

The key to Rinaldi’s decisive win may have come in the first game, which lasted 13 minutes. There were seven deuces, and Jordan had one break point before Rinaldi was able to hold.

Jordan held serve in the second game, but Rinaldi then won the next eight games, carrying her to 3-0 in the second set.