Retiring Chris Evert Scores 43-Minute Tokyo Victory

Chris Evert, playing in her last Federation Cup, needed only 43 minutes today to help the United States beat Greece 3-0 in the first round of the women’s tournament.

Evert beat Christina Papadaki 6-0, 6-1, winning four games without losing a point.

The 34-year-old Evert announced last month that she was retiring from major tournaments. “This Federation Cup will be my last tournament ever. I am getting old, and it is physically hard playing in a competition,” she said.

Martina Navratilova, No. 2 in the world, beat Angeliki Kanellopoulou, ranked 74th, 6-3, 6-1, and the team of Zina Garrison and Pam Shriver won the doubles match, beating Kanellopoulou and Olga Tsarbopoulou 6-1, 6-3.

In Wednesday’s second round, with the field reduced to 16 teams, the Americans will play Denmark. The tournament, the women’s version of the Davis Cup, is being played on the hard courts of the Ariake Colosseum.

Steffi Graf, the world’s No. 1 player, helped West Germany beat Finland 3-0 in a first-round match today, trouncing Anne Aallonen 6-0, 6-1.

Defending champion Czechoslovakia, led by Helena Sukova, beat Belgium 3-0.

Other 3-0 winners were Hungary over Thailand, Denmark over Poland, Britain over Indonesia and Japan over Sweden. Austria defeated Mexico 2-1, winning one of the two singles matches and the doubles.

In Brisbane, Australia, meanwhile, fifth-seeded Leif Shiras of Milwaukee defeated Australian Charleton Eagle 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in a first-round match today at the Queensland Open tennis tournament.

In another match there, Australian Johan Anderson overcame a 4-0 first-set deficit to beat Scott Warner of Los Angeles 7-6, (7-3), 6-3.