Manhattan Beach Tennis Tournament : Navratilova Is in the Final, Going for No. 6

Top-seeded Martina Navratilova rallied from a three-game deficit in the second set Saturday to post a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Zina Garrison in the $300,000 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach.

Navratilova, who will be seeking her sixth L.A. title, will face the winner of the other semifinal between second-seeded Gabriela Sabatini and No. 4 Pam Shriver.

Navratilova improved her career record to 24-1 over Garrison.

Garrison, ranked sixth in the world, raced to a 4-1 lead in the second set with the help of a pair of service breaks, highlighted by a 26-point, 10-deuce third game.

“Actually, after losing that gigantic game, it kept me in the set,” Navratilova said. “I had too many things going through my mind--things you shouldn’t even be thinking about. Personal things like death.

“But at 1-4, I buckled down and broke back. I began to concentrate better, cut out the mistakes and slowed myself down.”

Navratilova reeled off five consecutive games with three breaks to close out the victory.

Garrison, who said she hasn’t been serving well lately, was broken in six games.