TENNIS EVERT CUP : Shriver Calls Forth the Past in Winning

It wasn’t pretty, but it was good enough to keep Pam Shriver in the hunt.

With Martina Navratilova out of the Matrix Essentials/Evert Cup because of illness, the focus has turned to the scramble for the right to play top-ranked Monica Seles for the championship Sunday at Hyatt Grand Champions. Shriver is one of the candidates, and she struggled to a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 victory Wednesday over Claudia Kohde-Kilsch of Germany.

The last three seasons have not been happy ones for Shriver, who has fallen in the world rankings since suffering a shoulder injury in December, 1989.

Shriver had already dropped from fifth place in 1988 to 17th in 1989, and she dipped to 66th in 1990 before rising to 37th last year. She ranks 35th and has shown signs of her old form by earning $60,851 on the Kraft Tour to date. She is seeded 10th here.

In Kohde-Kilsch, who also stands 6 feet, Shriver, 29, met a player who has experienced a similar tumble in the rankings. Kohde-Kilsch, 28, was in the top 10 as recently as 1987 and now is No. 69.

“We went at it like a couple of old warriors,” Shriver said. “We’ve had such similar ups and downs. She was in the top 10 four times and I was up there nine times, and now we’re both on the outside looking in.

“The confidence just isn’t the same. It’s really an intangible thing. Once the barrier is broken down, it’s hard to get back and that’s what I’m trying to do now. I’m slowly building up my confidence, but it’s difficult.”

Shriver was in position to win the match in straight sets but lost her serve at 5-4, double-faulting on the last point, and Kohde-Kilsch went on to pull even at a set apiece. In the third set, one service break was sufficient for victory.

“I made life difficult for myself when I served for the second set,” Shriver said. “She played it smart. Every time I missed with my first serve, she came to the net.

“After that, I was all right. This is the first three-set match I’ve won since I came back from shoulder surgery 14 months ago. That’s a good sign.

“There are still certain things I can’t do, like maintaining the level of serving week in and week out. But it has been explained to me that my shoulder won’t ever really have the same feel, and I understand that.”

Asked if she has her sights set on playing Seles in the tournament final, Shriver relayed a conversation she had Tuesday night with Chris Evert, for whom the event is named.

“Chrissie reminded me that the bottom half of the draw is wide open, and she would appreciate it if I got to the final,” Shriver said. “I said, ‘Chrissie, I haven’t even gotten to the semifinals since ’89.’

“I beat Chrissie three of the last four times we played before she retired in ‘89, but that was then. On the bright side, I’ve been to the quarterfinals a few times, including the last two tournaments.

“The keys are confidence, consistency and what else? I’m a lot better than I was six weeks ago on my Australian trip. My last four tournaments have been my best run since I got hurt.”

Now in the round of 16, Shriver will meet eighth-seeded Amy Frazier today.

“That doesn’t give me much recovery time,” Shriver said. “It’s too bad I don’t have my day off tomorrow instead of having it yesterday.”

Frazier advanced by defeating Jennifer Santrock, 6-4, 6-2. Other seeded winners were Judith Wiesner (No. 6) of Austria, Gigi Fernandez (No. 7) and Nicole Provis (No. 12) of Australia. Wiesner beat Ros Fairbank-Wideffer of San Diego, 6-2, 6-2.

Debbie Graham (No. 13) of Fountain Valley became the third seeded casualty, losing to Amanda Coetzer of South Africa, 4-6, 6-0, 6-0.

Catarina Lindqvist (No. 15) of Sweden and Robin White (No. 16) of Del Mar were ousted Tuesday.