Navratilova Is Favored at San Clemente

U.S. Open champion Martina Navratilova is the top-seeded player in the $75,000 Audi Challenge tennis tournament today through Sunday at the Rancho San Clemente Tennis and Fitness Club in San Clemente.

Navratilova, winner of six consecutive Wimbledon championships and second on the Women’s International Tennis Assn. computer rankings, will also team with U.S. Open championship partner Pam Shriver as the top entry in the tournament’s doubles competition.

Shriver, the world’s fifth-ranked player and tournament defending champion, is seeded second in the singles competition.

This year, Shriver upset fourth-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, and defeated Chris Evert in straight sets at the Canadian Open in August.

Other entries are Zina Garrison of Houston, Tex., ranked seventh in the world; Lori McNeil of Houston (11th); Barbara Potter of Woodburg, Conn. (15th); Liz Smylie of Australia (20th); Wendy Turnbull of Fairfield, Fla. (22nd), and 17-year-old Stephanie Rehe of Highlands, Calif.

McNeil replaced 13th-ranked Kathy Rinaldi, who dropped from the tournament with a broken wrist suffered two weeks ago.

Two first-round matches will be played tonight, with Garrison vs. Smylie at 7, and McNeil vs. Potter immediately following.

Friday’s first-round matches are Navratilova vs. Rehe at 7 p.m. and Shriver vs. Turnbull immediately following.

Semifinals are scheduled for noon Saturday, with the final to be played at noon Sunday.

Doubles semifinals begin at the conclusion of Saturday’s singles matches, with Navratilova-Shriver playing Garrison-Potter, followed by Rehe-McNeil meeting Turnbull-Smylie.