TENNIS ROUNDUP : Shriver, Garrison Squabble

An on-court flare-up between Pam Shriver and Zina Garrison-Jackson overshadowed their quarterfinal match Saturday at Birmingham, England, which Garrison-Jackson won, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2.

During the match, played on an indoor court because rain made grass-court tennis unplayable, Shriver fired the ball at Garrison-Jackson and swore at her opponent’s fans.

Garrison-Jackson was fuming after the match.

“I couldn’t believe that she didn’t get a warning,” Garrison-Jackson said. “I heard some of the things she was saying about me like calling me stupid. I would never say things like that about her.”

Shriver said that she would apologize to Garrison-Jackson for her behavior on what she described as “not a good day.”

“Anyone who plays long enough has these matches,” she said. “On the court you get stretched physically and mentally and things happen. That’s competition.”

Shriver is president of the Women’s Tennis Assn., and Garrison-Jackson is on the board of directors.

“I’m seriously thinking about resigning,” Garrison-Jackson said. “She’s supposed to be our leader, and it’s going to be a major conflict for me from now on.”

Other quarterfinal winners were fifth-seeded Lori McNeil, 17-year-old Chanda Rubin and Larisa Neiland of Latvia.

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Top-seeded Thomas Muster of Austria and qualifier Jordi Burillo of Spain won semifinal matches in Florence, Italy. Muster defeated Alex Corretja of Spain, 6-4, 6-3, and Burillo ousted Haiti’s Ronald Agenor, 6-4, 6-4.

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Defending champion Wayne Ferreira outgunned Todd Martin, 6-7 (7-2), 6-3, 7-5, in the semifinals of the Queen’s Club grass-court tournament at London to set up a showdown with his doubles partner, Michael Stich.

Stich saved four match points before beating Australian Jamie Morgan, 5-7, 6-4, 8-6.

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Arnaud Boetsch of France reached the final of the Continental Grass Court Championships at Rosmalen, Netherlands, beating fourth-seeded Alexander Volkov of Russia, 6-3, 6-3.

The other semifinal was suspended because of rain, with Australian Wally Masur leading third-seeded Mal Washington, 7-5, 3-3.