U.S. Open Roundup : Mandlikova Is Upset by 33-Year-Old Turnbull

Veteran Wendy Turnbull of Australia pulled off one of the biggest shockers of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships Monday night, ousting defending women’s champion Hana Mandlikova, 6-4, 1-6, 6-3.

The victory sends the 33-year-old Turnbull, the oldest player left in the singles competition, into a quarterfinal matchup against seventh-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia.

“I guess when you’re over 30 people start writing you off,” said Turnbull, who is playing in her 10th U.S. Open. In 1977, she was runner-up to Chris Evert Lloyd and has been a semifinalist twice, the last time two years ago.

Earlier in the day, Lloyd lost a set for the first time in the tournament but recovered to advance along with top-seeded Ivan Lendl and Martina Navratilova.

The No. 2-seeded Lloyd, a six-time U.S. Open champion, beat No. 14 Catarina Lindqvist of Sweden, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2. Lendl, the defending champion, eliminated 15th-seeded Brad Gilbert, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2, and Navratilova, seeking her third U.S. Open singles title in four years, routed No. 11 Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, 6-4, 6-2.

Earlier, No. 4 Stefan Edberg of Sweden gained a quarterfinal berth by stopping former NCAA champion Dan Goldie, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

In other women’s matches, No. 3-seeded Steffi Graf of West Germany defeated Raffaella Reggi of Italy, 6-1, 3-6, 6-0; No. 5 Pam Shriver eliminated No. 15 Kathy Jordan, 6-4, 6-4; No. 8 Bonnie Gadusek stopped No. 13 Stephanie Rehe, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2; No. 9 Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria outlasted No. 6 Claudia Kohde-Kilsch of West Germany, 6-2, 2-6, 7-6, and Sukova downed No. 12 Zina Garrison, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

The 31-year-old Lloyd rolled through the first set before running into trouble in her victory over Lindqvist.

“I was winning pretty comfortably, 6-2, 2-0, but even in the first set she was just missing the lines by about two inches,” Lloyd said. “I let up and her shots were really making it.

“She was playing the lines and playing real aggressively, and I have to give her a lot of credit. She won that second set fair and square.”

But Lloyd sounded a warning about the hold she and Navratilova have on the rankings.

“It used to be Martina and me were dominating, and now we’re not,” she said. “We both have our losses. I think gradually the gap is closing, but it’s going to take some time.”

It was Lloyd’s 87th match victory in U.S. Open competition, increasing her own record.

Gilbert fought Lendl on even terms in the opening set, breaking the Czech’s serve in the seventh game to put the set back on serve. But Lendl, ranked No. 1 in the world, closed out the first set by breaking Gilbert in the 12th game.

After that, it was all Lendl.

“I started missing a lot of first serves and then he picked up his game a lot,” Gilbert said. “He started to pass really well. Then I got a little discouraged.

“I wasn’t sure what to do--if I should stay back or come in.”

There was nothing indecisive about Lendl, who already has won seven titles this year, including the French Open.

He broke Gilbert’s service twice in each of the next two sets to move one step closer to his second straight U.S. Open title.

“I think after the first set he got broken mentally,” Lendl said of Gilbert. “He felt he has to win now three out of four (sets), and he knows I’m going to run forever.

“I’m hitting the ball solid. I feel great physically. I feel strong. I feel quick and I feel I’m not going to tire out.”

Navratilova reeled off the first four games in her match with Sabatini. After the Argentine teen-ager took the next three games, breaking Navratilova’s service from deuce in the sixth game, the world’s top-ranked woman held her next service game at love to close out the set.

Sabatini opened the second set by holding, but Navratilova took six of the next seven games in her rush into the quarterfinals.