Tennis Roundup : Evert Wins a Pair of Matches to Reach Semifinals at Geneva

Despite having to play two matches, top-seeded Chris Evert advanced to the semifinals of a $100,000 women’s tennis tournament at Geneva Friday with victories over Kate Gompert and Mary Joe Fernandez.

Evert defeated Gompert, 6-3, 6-1, in a rain-delayed third-round match, before taking on Fernandez. Then, although she trailed 5-1 in the first set, Evert defeated the 15-year-old Fernandez, 7-6, 6-1.

“First of all, I had a good day of tennis, but I am just no longer accustomed to playing two matches a day,” Evert said. “The problems are mental rather than physical.”

Evert, 32, said the long day boosted her confidence for the upcoming French Open, which starts Monday in Paris. “I am going to play next week in Paris exactly the same as I did here,” she said.

Today, Evert will meet Lori McNeil, who beat Mariana Perez-Roldan of Argentina, 6-1, 6-0.

Also reaching the semifinals were Raffaela Reggi of Italy, who defeated Iva Budarova of Czechoslovakia, 6-4, 6-4, and Manuela Maleeva of Bulgaria, who beat her sister, Katerina, 6-1, 6-0.

Czechoslovakia qualified for the final of the $750,000 World Team Cup by taking an unbeatable 2-0 lead over Sweden at Dusseldorf, West Germany.

Miloslav Mecir beat Anders Jarryd, 6-2, 6-3, and Milan Srejber defeated Joakim Nystrom, 6-2, 6-2, assuring Czechoslovakia of the victory.

Czechoslovakia’s opponent will not be determined until today.

The United States, led by John McEnroe, will advance if it beats France. But should the U.S. team lose, then the winner of today’s Argentina vs. Spain match would earn the chance to compete for the $300,000 first prize Sunday.