Mandlikova Has to Work Hard to Beat Spence

Hana Mandlikova entered her second-round match of the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tournament against Debbie Spence with a definite plan in mind--a plan that became obvious before the first serve had been served Wednesday night.

Mandlikova showed her hand in the pre-match warmups, stepping to the net and flicking back Spence’s baseline shots with behind-the-back volleys. It was done for more than show.

It was done to intimidate.

Mandlikova’s bully-the-kid tactics continued in the first set, as she would edge up almost to the service line on Spence’s second serve, like a third baseman readying himself for a sacrifice bunt.

Spence knew what was going on. And, without flinching, the 17-year-old from Cerritos ignored it, involving Mandlikova, the tournament’s top-seeded player, in a strenuous three-set match before falling, 5-7, 6-2, 6-4, at Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach.

Ordinarily, just the very sight of the world’s No. 3-ranked player on the opposite side of the net would be enough to send any teen-ager shaking in her sneakers. Such early round pairings usually end in less than an hour, with the wide-eyed youngster left with nothing but a memorable clipping for her scrapbook.

But Mandlikova knew Spence better. And vice versa.

“I was not surprised,” Mandlikova said of the match’s intensity. “She played me very tough in the French Open (Mandlikova won, 7-6, 6-2) and I know she’s a good baseline player. On a hard court like this one, she gets pretty confident when she tries to pass.”

Mandlikova tried to get in the upper hand in the battle of the minds. But in this game, Spence held her own.

Did Mandlikova’s come-closer, come-closer routine bother her?

“Not really,” Spence said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you’ll see a player do that, come in close, and then drop back. They do that to try and intimidate you.”

Spence just kept honing in her second serve, rallying from the backcourt, passing down the line . . . and waiting for the aggressive Mandlikova to make a mistake. Spence knows this much about recent tennis history: Mandlikova may be much-talented, but she’s prone to lapses--and upsets.

“I knew before the match that she goes on streaks,” Spence said. “I was trying to keep the pressure on and hope to frustrate her.”

It worked for a set, but gradually, Mandlikova steadied herself. “I don’t think she was too bad tonight,” Spence said, assessing Mandlikova’s poise level.

For a while, Spence was looking like the latest entry in the local girl makes good file. She broke Mandlikova on the match’s first game and opened leads of 3-1, 4-2 and 5-3.

Mandlikova had to scramble with some flashy net play to force a 10th game--where she rallied from four set points to tie at 5-5.

But Spence calmly responded with another break and closed out the set at 7-5, producing the decisive point with her specialty--a two-fisted backhand.

Mandlikova was in trouble. This time she dealt with it.

“The first round is always a tough time for me,” she said. “It takes me a while to grow into a tournament.”

Mandlikova got growing in the second set. She won the first three games and coasted, 6-2.

The third set was a clinic on how not to hold serve. After Mandlikova’s served up a 1-0 lead, neither player held serve again.

There were nine straight service breaks. Mandlikova had five of them--and, eventually, the match.

“I couldn’t believe that,” Mandlikova said of the breakable third set. “After three breaks, I said, ‘My God, what’s happening?’ I couldn’t do anything; she returned well under pressure.”

But this time, Mandlikova responded to the pressure in kind. And that left the upset of the day honors to Palo Alto’s Anna Ivan, who knocked off sixth-seeded Wendy Turnbull, a finalist here in 1984, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

In another surprise, Laura Gildemeister of Miami downed 11th seeded Alycia Moulton, 6-3, 6-3. Meanwhile, three seeded players advanced.

Carling Bassett (No. 8) swept past Pasadena’s Tina Mochizuki, 6-3, 6-3; Bettina Bunge (No. 9) downed Japan’s Etsuko Inoue, 6-0, 6-3; and Sylvia Hanika (No. 10) defeated Susan Mascarin, 2-6, 6-2, 7-6.