Sukova’s Best Isn’t Quite Good Enough : She Loses to Navratilova in Semifinals of $250,000 Tournament

Helena Sukova was voted the most improved player on the women’s tennis tour last year, which is about as good a measurement as anyone needs to illustrate the level of Martina Navratilova’s game.

If you can imagine that Sukova, No. 7 in the world and a superb serve and volleyer, played as well as she is capable and still couldn’t put a dent in Navratilova, then you have a small taste of how the rest of the tennis world feels.

Navratilova beat Sukova, 7-6, 6-1, in a semifinal match Saturday in the $250,000 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tournament at the Manhattan Country Club.

Navratilova, seeded No. 1 here, pulled out the first set by dominating the tiebreaker, 7-2. Prior to that, the match had been an exchange of strong service games.

And one minor controversy.

With the score tied at one game apiece and Sukova serving at break point, Navratilova questioned a line call. To be precise, she yelled: “Call the goddamn lines.”

For the uninitiated, there is no absolute freedom of speech on a tennis court. Navratilova was given a warning for an audible obscenity, in addition to losing the chance for a break.

“If that was an obscenity, then all the players on the tour should be called for it,” Navratilova said. “I didn’t mean to insult the line.”

Sukova held serve in that game and, with both players unable to break, the set moved to 6-6 and into the tiebreaker.

The 6-foot-2-inch Czech lost her serve three times in the tiebreaker and that was enough to give Navratilova the first set. Plus a psychological boost.

“Once I had a set under my belt, the pressure is on her,” Navratilova said. “I can relax. I think what happens is they (opponents) feel they have played their best tennis. They get entirely down. And I’m thinking, ‘All right, I’ve got them.’ ”

Sukova, 21, played well in the second set but lost the touch on her passing shot that had served her so well in the first set. “Always on the big points, I had chances,” Sukova said. “I just didn’t hit them. If I could have won the first set, I think it would have been completely different. I had two set points. I felt I should have made one of those.”

Navratilova, whose dog ran away Friday, gave an update on the situation Saturday. She said the dog had been sighted in the neighborhood in Sherman Oaks where she has been staying with a friend.

“I think he is nearby but just doesn’t know the house,” she said.

Navratilova advanced to today’s final against the winner of the Chris Evert Lloyd-Pam Shriver match Saturday night.