Wimbledon Roundup : Navratilova Survives in Three Sets

For Martina Navratilova, being down one set and trailing, 4-2, in the second and third sets was one thing.

Being down one Wimbledon title was another.

The second-seeded player said her will to continue her quest for a record ninth singles title at the All England Lawn Tennis Club drove her to a remarkable comeback in a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 quarterfinal victory over Ros Fairbank of South Africa Wednesday.

“I just refused to lose,” said Navratilova, who advanced to the semifinals here for the 11th straight year. “I just didn’t give up.”

In the men’s quarterfinals, second-seeded Mats Wilander just gave out.

Miloslav Mecir, seeded ninth, of Czechoslovakia, ended the Swede’s hopes for a Grand Slam, 6-3, 6-1, 6-3.

“I realize it’s tough (to win the four Grand Slam tournaments), and this is a bad tournament for my style of play to win,” said Wilander, who won the Australian and French Opens this year.

Wilander is not a strong player on grass and Mecir played brilliantly throughout, breaking the Swede six times. From 3-3 in the opening set, Mecir won 10 of the next 11 games to lead, 1-0, in the third set. He raced through the second set in 32 minutes.

Mecir had two break points against Wilander in the fourth game of third set and served four successive love games when he went to 3-2.

“When I needed to break him, I did,” Mecir said. “I think Mats’ game isn’t as dangerous on this surface as on clay or hard courts. He has more time to pass and return on those surfaces.”

Wilander said he was “very disappointed, obviously,” with the loss. He had not dropped a set in the first four rounds.

“I was expecting better than I did today,” he said.

But he added that winning the four majors in the same year was never his main goal.

“It’s just too difficult,” he said. “You can’t compare now to when (Don) Budge and (Rod) Laver won it. They played three of the tournaments on grass. If we had three of them on clay, maybe I’d have a chance, too.”

In the men’s semifinals Friday, Mecir will play third-seeded Stefan Edberg and top-seeded Ivan Lendl will face No. 6 Boris Becker.

Becker, a 20-year-old West German and two-time former champion, used overpowering serves to beat defending champion Pat Cash of Australia, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.

In his first straight set victory since the opening round, Lendl beat No. 10 Tim Mayotte, 7-6, 7-6, 6-3.

Sweden’s Edberg advanced to the semifinals for the second year in a row, beating unseeded Patrick Kuhnen of West Germany, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6.

Navratilova, seeded second, survived Fairbank’s challenge on the packed, noisy outside Court 14.

Navratilova and Helen Wills Moody share the record of eight Wimbledon singles titles. Navratilova, who meets Chris Evert in the semifinals today, would break Moody’s record Saturday if she wins the final.

Navratilova also has won 45 straight matches at Wimbledon, 5 shy of the record set by Moody in the 1920s and ‘30s.

“I thought, ‘What a way to go, Court 14 to Ros Fairbank in the quarterfinals,’ ” Navratilova said. “But I want that ninth title too bad, and I want it now, not next year. I think that wanting to win that is why I was able to win.”

Navratilova seemed headed for an easy victory after taking a 3-0 lead in the first set. But Fairbank, ranked 50th in the world, won the next 4 games and broke Navratilova’s serve in the 10th game with a cross-court forehand to win the set.

Fairbank jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second set and was one point away from taking a 5-2 lead when she hit an easy forehand volley wide. Navratilova went on to win the game and the set.

In the third set, again within a point of going up, 5-2, Fairbank sent a backhand volley long, then blew two more chances to win the game. After breaking Fairbank’s serve to take a 6-5 lead, Navratilova broke her opponent’s spirit with a match-ending love service game.

Navratilova finds herself in a familiar position--facing 33-year-old friend and rival Evert in a big match. Navratilova has a 39-37 advantage in the series.

Evert has beaten Navratilova twice this year, in the semifinals at the Australian Open and the final of the Virginia Slims of Houston.