Evert Stuns Navratilova; Graf Also Wins

The potential U.S. Open final sneak preview--Steffi Graf vs. Martina Navratilova--was canceled Saturday when Chris Evert spoiled the script.

Recapturing the form she showed in the mid-1970s, when she often humbled Navratilova with flawless passing shots, Evert scored a rare victory over her old friend and rival in the semifinals of the $250,000 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles tournament at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach.

Granted, Evert was able to take advantage of Navratilova’s lack of match play. Surely, however, few could have expected the decisiveness of Evert’s 6-2, 6-1 win.

Not even Evert, who had only beaten Navratilova 5 times in their last 29 meetings before Saturday.

“Yeah, I’m very surprised,” said Evert, who will play Graf today at 2 p.m. for the championship. “I don’t remember the last time I beat Martina with that type of a score.”

If you roll back the tapes of the incredible series between the two--74 matches in all--the last time Evert recorded a more one-sided victory was in 1981, when she defeated Navratilova, 6-0, 6-0.

“A long time ago,” Evert said.

So, the irony here is that Evert is now the only obstacle between Graf and the No. 1 ranking.

If Graf defeats Evert today, she becomes No. 1 in the world when the new Women’s International Tennis Assn. computer rankings are released Monday. Navratilova would have retained the No. 1 ranking, which she has held since Nov. 1985, if she had defeated Evert in the semifinals.

Now, Navratilova’s lead on the computer is 261.6375 to 247.8259. Graf, who defeated Gabriela Sabatini, 7-5, 7-5, in Saturday’s first semifinal, would become No. 1 by a slim margin, seventh tenths of a point, if she beats Evert.

The last player other than Navratilova or Evert to be ranked No. 1 was Tracy Austin in 1980.

“That is funny,” said Evert, who started laughing. “Martina hasn’t mentioned anything to me. If she were able to give me a little payment under the table, maybe I’d think about it more.”

The third-ranked Evert, who has lost to Graf the last three times they have met, does not hold any illusions about challenging for No. 1 in 1987.

“Steffi deserves it (No. 1) on the computer if she wins tomorrow,” Evert said. “Even if she wouldn’t win tomorrow, she’s had the best year of anybody. . . . Will I be No. 1 if I win? Just kidding. It goes one, two, three.”

Evert put her hand in the air to signify Navratilova’s and Graf’s position in women’s tennis, and dropped it below the table she was sitting at, to specify her spot.

Actually, Evert is not that distant a third. She has won four tournaments to Navratilova’s one and has defeated her twice this year. Navratilova holds two victories--at the French Open and Wimbledon--over Evert in 1987.

Victory No. 3 appeared to be a lock heading into the match. Although Navratilova hadn’t played a tournament in five weeks because of an ankle injury after Wimbledon, she played better and better each match.

However, against Evert, it quickly became clear that Navratilova was off her game. In the opening game, with Evert serving, Navratilova made three unforced errors and lost the game at love.

She double-faulted on break point to fall behind, 0-2. In the second set, Navratilova double-faulted to lose her serve on break point in the fourth and sixth games.

“The problem was more with my second serve than my first,” Navratilova said. “Chris returned really well. She did everything well. I felt I started out badly, and I could never catch up. She played very, very well and I played badly. She didn’t ever give me the chance to get into the match.”

Evert agreed with the synopsis.

“She gave me a lot of second serves and she double-faulted on crucial points.She gave me two or three double-faults on big points.

“Again, that shows a little lack of match play on her part. Usually, I’m the nervous one. There have been a lot of matches I’ve played like that and lost with those scores. Today, the shoe was on the other foot. I’m sure it will probably help her to work harder for the U.S. Open.”

While Evert’s victory came as a surprise, Graf’s win against Sabatini was anything but. Including a recent straight-set victory at the Federation Cup, Graf has defeated Sabatini 10 times.

Again, though, Sabatini had her chances to extend Graf. In the 10 matches, she has pushed Graf to three sets on seven occasions. On Saturday, Sabatini came close to doing it for an eighth time as she took a 5-3 first-set lead. Then Graf began finding her range and won six straight games to win the first set, 7-5, and take a 2-0 lead in the second.

“I think I started pretty poorly,” Graf said. “In the beginning, the first four or five balls I couldn’t get inside the court. It’s always a problem against Gabriela. I know I can play better.”

Sabatini has never defeated Graf even though she has held match points against her. And, if anything, Saturday’s result has to be even more disappointing for Sabatini. In their last two meetings, Sabatini has failed to win a set.

But she preferred to look at it differently.

“It is getting closer every time,” Sabatini said. “When I play her, it doesn’t matter what the score is, it is closer.”

Evert only remembers the score the last two times she has played Graf. In each match, Evert won just three games.

“I feel looser against Martina because the last four years she’s had the better record,” Evert said. “Against Steffi, up until last year, I was beating her soundly. Of course, she was only 12 at the time.”