Tennis Roundup : Hard-Fought Win Gives Evert Her First Championship in ’88
Facing her toughest challenge of the week, top-seeded Chris Evert fought off unseeded Arantxa Sanchez of Spain, 7-6, 6-4, Sunday at Largo, Fla., to win her second consecutive $200,000 Eckerd Open.
It was the first tournament title of the year for Evert, who won $40,000.
Sanchez, 16, won a spot in the final by defeating unseeded Patricia Tarabini of Argentina, 6-2, 6-2, in a semifinal match rained out Saturday and resumed Sunday morning.
After winning the first-set tiebreaker, 7-3, Evert jumped to a 5-2 lead in the second set before Sanchez made one last charge, closing to 5-4. But Evert stayed firm, breaking Sanchez in the final game to win the set and the match.
“I had a pretty easy time until this match,” Evert said. “I was surprised how well she played. But I won the match and that’s what counts.”
At Houston, Henri Leconte of France wore down tour rookie Michael Chang, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, in the final of the $200,000 River Oaks International tournament.
Chang, 16, of Placentia, wilted in the final set. Leconte hit 56 errors to only 35 for Chang, but 14 of Chang’s miscues came in the final set.
Get our high school sports newsletter
Prep Rally is devoted to the SoCal high school sports experience, bringing you scores, stories and a behind-the-scenes look at what makes prep sports so popular.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
