Sukova Serves Up a Defeat to Navratilova

Helena Sukova, who halted Martina Navratilova’s 74-match winning streak at the 1984 Australian Open, knocked the three-time champion out of the Grand Slam tournament again today.

The big-serving Czech beat Navratilova 6-2, 3-6, 9-7 in a dramatic quarterfinal before a packed center-court crowd at the National Tennis Stadium.

“The last time I beat her here I was just trying to win a set,” Sukova said. “This time I thought I had a chance to win.”

Navratilova twice served for the match in the seesaw final set, but Sukova held her off with a series of sizzling backhand winners.

After Sukova saved two break points and held for an 8-7 lead, Navratilova appeared ready to even the match again, moving ahead 30-love with an ace. However, Sukova quickly gained a match point and watched a shaky Navratilova hand her the victory on a double fault.

‘I Gave Her the Match’

“It was nerve-racking out there,” Sukova said. “I was trying very hard not to think about the score.”

Navratilova, 32, who hasn’t won a Grand Slam title since the 1987 U.S. Open, was upset by her failure in the clutch. “I gave her the match at the end,” she said. “I wasn’t outplayed. It was just a matter of a couple of points here and there.”

But the woman whose single-minded determination made her the dominant player of the decade also admitted: “Tennis is not the most important thing in my life. . . . I’m not willing to sacrifice everything in order to play good tennis. I did that for five or six years. Maybe I’m too mature to do it now.”

Navratilova’s loss hurt her because it robbed her of a possible meeting in the final with West German star Steffi Graf, winner of the last five Grand Slam tournaments and the undisputed No. 1 player in the world.

“I’ve got five months before I can redeem myself at the French Open, and that’s a long time,” she said.

“I’ll be back, though.”

Graf Against Sabatini

Sukova’s semifinal opponent will be unseeded Belinda Cordwell of New Zealand, who beat Sweden’s Catarina Lindqvist 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. The other semifinal pits defending champion Graf against archrival Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina.

Graf, who hasn’t lost a set in the tournament, breezed past eighth-seeded Claudia Kohde-Kilsch of West Germany 6-2, 6-3 in 55 minutes, while Sabatini rallied from 1-3 down in the final set to beat sixth-seeded Zina Garrison of the United States 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.

“It’s going to be hard for anyone to beat me,” said Graf, who is seeking her fifth straight Grand Slam title. “It’s obvious. It’s been like that for a year now.”

Sabatini, who defeated Graf twice last year but trails their series 2-14, also sounded confident.

“I won’t be afraid when I go out and play her,” she said. “I don’t feel any pressure. I think I have a good chance to beat her.”

Lendl and McEnroe

In men’s play, longtime rivals Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe set up a quarterfinal showdown with straight-set victories.

Lendl recovered from a slow start to beat Israeli Amos Mansdorf 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-2, while McEnroe cruised to a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, 6-3 victory over fellow American Aaron Krickstein.

Two-time champion Stefan Edberg is scheduled to play 11th-seeded Thomas Muster of Austria in another quarterfinal Wednesday. Earlier story, Part III, Page 3.