Sabatini Gets Back to Work

Rusty never looked so good.

Before Tuesday night, eight weeks had passed since Argentina’s Gabriela Sabatini played a tournament match.

She wore the time off well in her opening match of the Mazda Tennis Classic in front of 4,294 at the La Costa Resort & Spa.

Top-seeded Sabatini took only 45 minutes to dispatch Kimberly Po of Rolling Hills, 6-0, 6-0.

“I was very excited to play after a few weeks off,” said Sabatini, last seen in a lopsided loss to Monica Seles in the semifinals at Wimbledon. “I was very happy with the match tonight. I thought I played very well.”

Although eager to get tournament-tough for the start of the U.S. Open next week, Sabatini enjoyed her vacation, which she spent in South America and Florida.

“It’s good to do once in a while,” she said. “But I missed playing matches.”

The closest Po could coax Sabatini into sacrificing a game was two games into the match with Po serving. Sabatini sent a forehand sailing long to give Po game point before the California native hit long on the next two points.

At 2-0 in the second, Po got to deuce, double-faulted and shoved a forehand into the net. Po would win three points the rest of the match.

“She made a lot of errors, but I played well, too,” said Sabatini.

It was the fourth time this year she shut out an opponent.

Po, ranked 65th in the world, wasn’t especially nervous against the world’s No. 4 player, it’s simply that she hadn’t seen a tennis ball do so many tricks.

“It was that her spin is so different,” said Po. “It’s not a normal topspin. It took me a while to get used to it. It jumped around a lot.”

Sabatini didn’t have to. Rarely did she rush the net; everything she hit from behind the baseline worked like magic.

Still, there is more to do before she declares herself fit for the Open.

“Mentally, I need to be well prepared,” she said. “I need to be very focused, and try to win this tournament to give me confidence.”

Po, who will return to UCLA this fall but is ineligible to participate in collegiate tennis because she turned pro this year, said the experience wasn’t totally frustrating.

“There wasn’t much I could do,” she said. “There wasn’t much use in getting really angry. You don’t get the chance to play Sabatini much.”

Or in the case of a lower-ranked player, to play Sabatini and win.

But Japan’s Kimiko Date has, and if the 24th-ranked player can get past 23rd-ranked Leila Meskhi of Russia--Date’s doubles partner--today at 11 a.m., she’ll have the opportunity.

In her first-round match Tuesday afternoon, Date had little trouble subduing Pam Shriver, 6-3, 6-3.

Date, 21, became the first Japanese woman to crack the tennis ranking’s top 20 in the Open era, which began in 1968, and she was Japan’s first female player ever to be seeded (15th) at Wimbledon.

Last year, she finished the season ranked 33rd in the world, but had vaulted to No. 16 by May of this year.

One of four Japanese players ranked in the world’s top 125, Date is the most recognized. As the ranking has gotten higher, so has the pressure.

“They expect me to do well every time,” she said.

Date’s most publicized victory was her three-set victory over Sabatini at the 1991 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles. The performance improved her ranking from 112 to 32.

But Date hasn’t thought past Meskhi.

“I will just do my best, and hope to play like I did today,” Date said.

Against Shriver, her best wasn’t half bad.

“She has some weapons,” Shriver said. “If she believes in herself, I think she can crack the top 15, maybe even the top 10.”

In their only meeting before Tuesday, Date took a straight-set decision at the Australian Open in 1990. Shriver saw some talent then, but said the Tokyo resident needs to develop one trademark shot that will take her game to the next level.

“She has some penetrating shots,” she said. “But not a Graf forehand or a Seles backhand. She needs one shot that will drive people crazy, although her backhand’s close.”

The closest Shriver came against Date was a 2-0 lead in the first set, before Date held serve and won seven of the next eight games for the 6-3, 1-0 advantage.

Shriver went up, 4-3, in the second set and held double break point but missed on two service returns and missed a volley before Date closed out the game with an overhead. Date broke Shriver for the match.

“She pins you to the backcourt,” Shriver said. “For me to play well against someone who plays the backcourt as well as Kimiko, I knew I had to get my first serve in.”

She did so only 50% of the match.

When she didn’t pin back Shriver, Date managed to pass her at the net.

“I knew Pam would get to the net. It was critical I get to the net before she did,” said Date, who is in her fourth year on the tour.

Although Date plays right-handed, she hit a left-handed forehand against Shriver. Date is naturally left-handed, but Japanese are traditionally encouraged to use their right hands. She was not different.

“When I first started playing, everyone used their right hand. I thought that was the way it was,” said Date, who still writes with her left hand.

She’ll need every weapon she has if she should advance to play Sabatini.

Tennis Notes

University of San Diego’s Laura Richards and Julie McKeon experienced a thrill when they played a doubles match against Zina Garrison and Robin White Tuesday. It was Richards’ first major pro tournament and only the third for McKeon. Their main concern was not to embarrass themselves. “We didn’t really think we could win,” Richards said. “We just didn’t want to get blown off the court.” The USD juniors lost 6-4, 6-2. . . . Britain’s Jo Durie withdrew from the tournament with a neck strain Tuesday morning. Florida’s Kathy Rinaldi, who was already entered in the doubles draw, replaced her and lost to former San Diego State player Monique Javer, 6-4, 6-3. . . . Today at 1, San Diego’s Gretchen Magers, Jill Hetherington and Rinaldi will visit the pediatric/orthopedic ward at San Diego’s Children’s Hospital. . . . Three of the tournament’s seeded players finally get started today: At 11 a.m., third-seeded Conchita Martinez of Spain, a silver medalist in doubles in the Olympics, meets Isabelle Demongeot of France and sixth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat of France will play Oceanside’s Stephanie Rehe; and at 7 tonight, second-seeded Jennifer Capriati meets Austria’s Judith Wiesner.

Mazda Highlights

Center court, 11 a.m.: No. 3 Conchita Martinez vs. Isabelle Demongeot; followed by Debbie Graham vs. No. 4 Anke Huber; followed by No. 4 Zina Garrison/Robin White vs. Ann Grossman/Catarina Lindqvist.

Center court, 7 p.m.: Judith Wiesner vs. No. 2 Jennifer Capriati; followed by Sabine Appelmans/Judith Wiesner vs. Debbie Graham/Kimberly Po.

Court 17, 11 a.m.: No. 6 Nathalie Tauziat vs. Stephanie Rehe; followed by No. 1 Jana Novotna/Larisa Savchenko-Neiland vs. Heidi Djanogly/Jackie Geller; followed by Isabelle Demongeot/Nathalie Tauziat vs. Kimiko Date/Leila Meskhi (possible court change).

Court 18, 11 a.m.: Kimiko Date vs. Leila Meskhi.

Site: La Costa Resort & Spa.

Tickets: For information, call 438-5683. Tickets available for morning and evening sessions and for week-long packages. Prices range from $12 to $28.