TENNIS ROUNDUP : Seles Is Still at Odds With Yugoslav Federation

Monica Seles’ feud with the Yugoslav Tennis Federation is still on.

Seles advanced to the semifinals of the $150,000 Pathmark Women’s Tennis Classic at Mahwah, N.J., Friday, then refused to commit herself to play for the Yugoslav team next week in the Federation Cup in England.

“They (the federation) haven’t even called to find out if I’m OK and if I’m going to play,” said the 17-year-old Seles, who withdrew from Wimbledon because of shin splints and a stress fracture.

“When I was 11 or 12, I was a nobody and you have no idea how they treated me. Now that I’m No. 1, I guess they feel that they need me.”

Seles, in seclusion for five weeks after the French Open, says that she is also checking to see if her leg condition has improved enough to make the trip to Nottingham on Sunday.

But it was obvious that she is waiting for the call from the Yugoslav tennis delegation.

“Then I’ll have to sort it out and see if I want to put everything behind us,” said Seles. “The same people are still there. I don’t know if I can look them in the eye and I don’t know if I want to represent the federation.”

Seles reached the semifinals of the Pathmark event with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over former UCLA star Jessica Emmons.

Her next opponent will be sixth-seeded Kathy Rinaldi, who scored a minor upset with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over fourth-seeded Catarina Lindqvist of Sweden. Second-seeded Jennifer Capriati advanced with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over No. 8 Audra Keller.

Third-seeded Brad Gilbert and fourth-seeded Richey Reneberg were both beaten in the quarterfinals of the $600,000 Sovran Bank Classic at Washington.

Petr Korda of Czechoslovakia, the 12th-seeded player, eliminated Gilbert, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-4), in a match that lasted nearly two hours as a stadium-side thermometer registered 104 degrees. Sixth-seeded Jaime Yzaga of Peru beat Reneberg, 6-3, 6-4.

Meanwhile, top-seeded Andre Agassi beat Johan Carlsson of Sweden, 7-5, 6-2, and Markus Zoecke of Germany defeated Luis Herrera of Mexico, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. Herrera eliminated John McEnroe in the third round.

Unseeded Lars Koslowski of Germany and Wimbledon champion Michael Stich both advanced to the semifinals of the Mercedes Cup tournament at Stuttgart, Germany.

Koslowski, 20, overpowered Yugoslavia’s seventh-seeded Goran Prpic, 6-2, 2-6, 7-5. Stich recorded a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) victory over Richard Krajicek.

In other quarterfinal matches, Spain’s Francisco Clavet upset Frenchman Cedric Pioline, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1, and Alberto Mancini of Argentina defeated Spaniard German Lopez, 6-3, 6-3.

Top-seeded Mary Joe Fernandez needed only 40 minutes to beat unseeded Donna Faber, 6-0, 6-2, in the quarterfinals of the Virginia Slims Hall of Fame Invitational at Newport, R.I.

In other quarterfinals, fourth-seeded Rosalyn Fairbank-Nideffer eliminated Patty Fendick, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, and third-seeded Marianne Werdel of Bakersfield beat Diana Gardner, 6-2, 6-3.