Tennis / Lisa Dillman : Indian Wells Gets Top-Rated Field

To say it was a promoter’s nightmare might be overstating the case, but the Pilot Pen tournament final between David Pate and Larry Stefanki two years ago at La Quinta was no great sell.

That memory was softened somewhat in Tournament Director Charlie Pasarell’s mind when Joakim Nystrom defeated Yannick Noah in 1986.

And this year, the tournament has what might be considered its finest field. Seven of the world’s top 10 players are entered, including two-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker and two-time French Open champion Mats Wilander.

“We also have more depth in this year’s tournament,” Pasarell said. “Last year, the cut-off for the last direct entry was in the 80s. This year the final player is ranked 55.”

The tournament, which will run Feb. 16-22, has moved from La Quinta to the new Grand Champions hotel and resort in Indian Wells.

Other top players entered are Stefan Edberg, Noah, Henri Leconte, Nystrom, Miloslav Mecir and Mikael Pernfors.

Pasarell also got a pleasant surprise last week when Pat Cash called, requesting a wild-card spot.

Cash recently led Australia to a Davis Cup victory over Sweden in the final, and he upset top-ranked Ivan Lendl in the Australian Open semifinals before losing to Edberg in the final today.

Although Pasarell said there hasn’t been any inquiry from John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors has indicated to him that he may enter the tournament.

“I never give up hope,” Pasarell said. “I wish (McEnroe) would come and I hope (Connors) will come to the tournament.”

Also, for the first time, there will be a professional women’s event, Feb. 6-8, at Grand Champions. Chris Evert Lloyd, Hana Mandlikova, Steffi Graf, Melissa Gurney and Kathy Rinaldi will compete in the $100,000 Newsweek tournament.

When the Grand Champions resort was unveiled Wednesday for its first tournament, the Adidas Invitational, organizers were caught off guard by the first-day turnout.

More than 250 spectators roamed the grounds, which is unusual for the first round of a tournament featuring mostly college and junior players.

The unexpected number of curiousity seekers also created a parking problem.

There just weren’t enough parking attendants to handle the crowd and people parked wherever they pleased.

“Let’s just say this, those are the kind of problems you want to deal with,” Pasarell said.

The crowded tennis schedule in Southern California includes a $25,000 USTA satellite tournament at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana, which starts with qualifying today.

Competition in the main draw will begin Tuesday, and the final is set for next Sunday.

These events--considered the lowest rung of professional tennis--usually include junior players on their way up and former top players trying to get back up.

Among those entered are JoAnne Russell, once a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon and formerly ranked in the top 15; Michelle Torres, who reached the top 20 by age 17 and is now ranked 54, and Melissa Brown, who made the French Open quarterfinals in 1984.

Tennis Notes

The final of the Invitational tournament at Indian Wells, between top-seeded Rick Leach of USC and second-seeded Andrew Sznajder of Pepperdine, will be held at 10 a.m. today. Leach defeated Greg Failia of Cal State Long Beach, 7-6, 6-2, and Sznajder beat third-seeded Luke Jensen of USC, 7-5, 6-4, in Saturday’s semifinals. Last year’s winner, Brad Pearce of UCLA, earned a wild-card berth in the professional Grand Prix event. Both the singles and doubles champions are given wild-card berths. . . . Al Parker, the top-ranked junior in the country, reached the second round at Indian Wells before losing to Greg Failla of Cal State Long Beach. In November, Parker won his 25th USTA National junior title, breaking Scott Davis’ previous record of 24 when he and Murphy Jensen took the 18-and-under doubles championship at Dallas. . . . Last weekend, the UC Irvine men’s team, ranked 22nd, opened its season by defeating No. 18 Kentucky and No. 13 Minnesota in an invitational tournament at Minneapolis.