Chris Evert Lloyd Loses a Set, but She Gets Past Gabriela Sabatini

Top-seeded Chris Evert Lloyd struggled through the second set but came back to beat Gabriela Sabatini, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Women’s Tennis Assn. Championship at Amelia Island, Fla.

“She did everything right,” Lloyd said of the 14-year-old Argentine she had defeated in the final of a $200,000 tournament last Sunday at Hilton Head Island, S.C. “Last week, it was unexpected when she made the final. But this week, it wasn’t. She’s playing great tennis right now.”

Earlier, second-seeded Hana Mandlikova routed Virginia Ruzici of Romania, 6-0, 6-2, in a match that lasted only 47 minutes.

In other quarterfinal matches, third-seeded Claudia Khode-Kilsch of West Germany defeated 14th-seeded Kathleen Horvath, 6-1, 7-5, and fourth-seeded Zina Garrison beat 10th-seeded Steffi Graf of West Germany, 6-7, 6-1, 6-2.

In the semifinals, Garrison will play Mandlikova, while Khode-Kilschwill face Lloyd.

Despite losing their concentration, top-seeded Mats Wilander of Sweden and sixth-seeded Tim Mayotte won their quarterfinal matches in the $200,000 River Oaks tennis tournament at Houston.

Both were routed in the second set before Wilander eliminated Ramesh Krishnan of India, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1, and Mayotte defeated John Lloyd of Great Britain, 7-6, 1-6, 6-3.

Wilander will face Paul McNamee of Australia today in one semifinal, while Mayotte will play second-seeded Anders Jarryd of Sweden in the other. McNamee upset third-seeded Kevin Curren of South Africa, 6-3, 7-6, and Jarryd beat seventh-seeded Vitas Gerulaitis, 6-3, 6-2.

Henrik Sundstrom struggled to a 7-9, 6-2, 6-0, 9-7 victory over Pedro Rebolledo to pull defending Davis Cup champion Sweden into a 1-1 tie with Chile in the opening singles matches at Santiago, Chile.

The match between Sundstrom and Rebolledo lasted 3 hours 53 minutes, and it finished under the lights. Earlier, Hans Gildemeister upset Stefan Edberg, 6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, in a three-hour match.