Czechs Advance in Tennis Cup, Face U.S. Next

Petr Korda beat Carl-Uwe Steeb in singles and teamed with Regina Rajchrtova for a doubles victory today as Czechoslovakia defeated Germany, 2-1, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Hopman Cup.

Isabel Cueto beat Rajchrtova, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, to give Germany a 1-0 lead, but Korda defeated Steeb, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, and combined with Rachjrtova to beat Steeb and Cueto, 6-1, 6-3, in mixed doubles.

Cueto was too steady for the error-prone Rajchrtova in the opening singles, but Korda then out-served and out-volleyed Steeb in a hard-fought match.

Steeb played despite the death of his father earlier in the week.

Czechoslovakia, the seventh seed in the 12-nation exhibition tournament, will play the top-seeded United States in the quarterfinals.

The American pair of David Wheaton and Zina Garrison had a first-round bye, along with defending champion Spain, Switzerland and the Soviet Union.

France, with a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands, also advanced to the quarterfinals, where it will face defending champion Spain. Catherine Tanvier beat Manon Bollegraf, 6-3, 6-4, and Guy Forget defeated Michiel Schapers, 6-4, 6-4.

In the remaining first-round match, Yugoslavia was scheduled to play Italy with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals against the Soviet Union.

Switzerland will play Australia in the other quarterfinal match.

Each match consists of men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles matches.

The exhibition tournament at the Burswood Superdome continues through Jan. 3 and is the first of a series of warmup events for the Australian Open, which begins Jan. 14 at the National Tennis Center in Melbourne.