Virginia Slims Event Starts Today

Seven of the world’s top ten women tennis players are entered in the $250,000 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tournament opening today at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach.

The tournament lacks the top two players--Chris Evert Lloyd and Martina Navratilova--but will give other top players an opportunity to play on a surface that Navratilova has called identical to the center court at Flushing Meadow, site of the U.S. Open in three weeks.

Navratilova had been entered in the 56-draw tournament here but withdrew last week with a pinched nerve in her neck.

Peter Johnson, Navratilova’s personal representative said, in announcing Navratilova’s withdrawal: “This is a problem that she has had in the past. She first noticed it at Wimbledon. Her neck was sore, but certainly not enough to prevent her from playing. She has not played since Wimbledon, but has been running and lifting weights. Last Saturday she did a lot of weightlifting and woke up Sunday with her neck killing her.”

Third-ranked Hana Mandlikova will head the entrants in the six-day tournament. Pam Shriver (4th ranked), Helena Sukova (6th), Zina Garrison (7th) and Kathy Rinaldi (8th) round out the field.

Weekday sessions are at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday at 1 p.m. and the final is Sunday at 2 p.m.

John McEnroe, who already has one victory in the Forum Championship Tennis Challenge Series, tries for another tonight, when he meets France’s Yannick Noah.

The best-of-three-sets match begins at 7:30 p.m.

In the first match of the series in April, McEnroe beat Ivan Lendl, 6-4, 7-6. Jimmy Connors was scheduled to meet Lendl in that match but had to withdraw because of a back injury.

Noah, making his Forum debut tonight, won the D.C. National Bank tennis tournament two weeks ago with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Martin Jaite in the final.

McEnroe also will be featured in the third round of the seven-match challenge series on Nov. 18, when he is scheduled to play Connors at the Forum.

In tonight’s first match, beginning at 6 o’clock, Vince Van Patten will play Jimmy Arias. Following the McEnroe-Noah match, Van Patten and McEnroe will face Arias and Noah in doubles.