Tennis Roundup : Evert Makes 49 Unforced Errors, Falls to Anne Minter

Chris Evert, retiring after next week’s U.S. Open, committed 49 unforced errors Wednesday night and lost to Anne Minter of Australia in the second round of the Player’s Challenge tennis championship at Toronto.

“I’m rusty,” said Evert, who lost, 6-4, 7-5. “I haven’t played a tournament in six weeks.

“I paid the price of not having played a match since Wimbledon. It’s uncharacteristic of me for the past 18 years not to have been in every point. That’s one of the reasons why I’m retiring.”

Evert, seeded third, credited Minter with “playing a great match.”

Minter, ranked No. 41 in the world, said it was “an honor” to play Evert again before she retires.

“I feel sorry for her,” Minter said. “I know she wanted to go out on a good note.”

In another upset, seventh-seeded Hana Mandlikova lost to unseeded Jana Pospisilova, 1-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Other players advancing were No. 4 Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, who beat Jo-Anne Faull, 6-1 6-4; No. 9 Helen Kelesi of Canada, who beat Czech Regina Rajchrtova, 6-1, 6-2, and No. 15 Sylvia Hanika of West Germany, who eliminated American Shauna Stafford, 6-2, 7-5.

Mandlikova, 27, a Czech who has become an Australian citizen, said her legs felt heavy and that she was weary during her loss.

“I don’t really think she won the match, I think I lost it,” Mandlikova said. “I was tired. I’ve played four weeks in a row. That’s not an excuse. She played good.”

Ivan Lendl and Aaron Krickstein each won in straight sets in the first round of the Hamlet Challenge Cup tournament in Jericho, N.Y.

Lendl, seeded first, defeated Guillermo Perez-Roldan of Argentina, 6-4, 6-2. No. 5 Aaron Krickstein beat Andres Gomez of Ecuador, 6-4, 6-3.