Classic’s Promoter Sorry to See Sabatini Lose

At 1 in the morning in a beach house at Del Mar, Racquel Giscafre consoled her friend, tennis player Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina.

For five years, Mazda Tennis Classic promoter Giscafre tried in vain to lure her fellow countrywoman to San Diego, to play in a tournament that wanted desperately to grow into an event the professional tennis community would recognize and respect.

Without Sabatini, it did both. From 1984 to 1991 the prize purse increased from $50,000 to $225,000.

Beginning in 1989, players such as Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova, Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati committed to San Diego. Graf and Capriati even came back.

Still, there was no Sabatini.

Until this year.

Giscafre said she knew as early as September that Sabatini would come. She was thrilled.

“I never stopped trying,” she said. “Before it never worked with her schedule. But she is trying new things, going to new places.”

So the tournament rolled out the welcome mat--everywhere but on the court.

Sabatini, ranked fourth in the world and top-seeded here, won easily Monday but was stunned in a 6-0, 6-3 loss Thursday night to Leila Meskhi, the world’s 23rd-ranked player.

“It broke my heart that she lost,” Giscafre said. “She really wanted to do well here.”

As Giscafre took Sabatini to Lindbergh Field Thursday afternoon, she said as much.

“She said, ‘I’m sorry I didn’t play better in your tournament,’ ” Giscafre said, “and that she would do everything possible to come back next year.”

Next year, the tournament is scheduled to be held in early August.

Would fans give Sabatini a second chance?

They would eat it up.

Tournament director Amy Janecek said Sabatini and Capriati were obviously the players most fans wanted to see.

“Both were a huge draw,” she said. “They wanted to see one or the other, but not one over the other.”

Janecek said one caller requested his money back when Sabatini lost.

“He sounded sad,” she said. “But we don’t give cash refunds.”

Chris Evert, part of NBC’s team that will broadcast the semifinals beginning at 11:45 a.m. today, said the loss of Sabatini shouldn’t affect their ratings.

“Jennifer’s the story, having won the (gold) medal,” Evert said. “Being American, being in America, she’s the biggest draw as far as women’s tennis goes.”

Evert said the network is always prepared for at least one top-seeded player to be upset.

“We’ve come to expect that,” she said. “In Hilton Head this year, we lost Martina (Navratilova) and Jennifer (Capriati) right away. But if you lose two tennis players, then you’re in big trouble.”

But NBC is banking on Capriati to carry its ratings this weekend.

“We’re fine, especially since we have Jennifer,” Evert said. “If she would lose, I think that would really hurt us, and the ratings.”