TENNIS / EVERT CUP : Fernandez Gets Closer to Top

Mary Joe Fernandez and her coach, Harold Solomon, were plotting her tennis schedule for 1995 when she noticed something wrong on the calendar.

“I asked, ‘When am I going to have my vacation?’ ” Fernandez said. “Harold said, ‘What do you mean? You’ve been on a permanent vacation.’ I said, ‘No. That was a forced vacation.’ ”

Fernandez laughed about it Friday. Her health problems, finally, were a side issue for once after she recorded the biggest victory of the $430,000 State Farm Evert Cup, defeating second-seeded and fourth-ranked Conchita Martinez of Spain, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, in the quarterfinals at Hyatt Grand Champions Resort.

In today’s semifinals, Fernandez will face fifth-seeded Naoko Sawamatsu of Japan, who upset third-seeded Lindsay Davenport, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4).

Fernandez-Martinez was a match of mini-streaks, a meeting of Martinez’s looping topspin and Fernandez’s clean, economic ground strokes. Martinez took a 3-0 first-set lead, but Fernandez needed only six minutes to tie it, 3-3, and went on to win five consecutive games. Martinez later managed to compose herself to go up 6-5 before Fernandez pushed it into the tiebreaker.

“I don’t know what happened,” Martinez said. “I started missing. I was going for it, and I wanted to be aggressive. I probably went for too much.”

Said Fernandez: “I just tried to go out there with a patient attitude. I tried to wait for the right shot.”

A patient attitude has served Fernandez, 23, well on and off the court. It helped her reach No. 4 in the world in 1990 and 1991, the French Open final in 1993 and two Australian Open finals (1990 and 1992).

But it became more necessary when she essentially turned into a part-time player after a painful and prolonged attack of endometriosis, a chronic inflammation of the pelvic area.

Fernandez had surgery in late 1993 and spent most of last year trying to find the correct balance of drugs to deal with the affliction. Her ranking dropped to its current No. 19, the lowest since February 1988, and Fernandez could not play tournaments on consecutive weeks until recently.

“I was at home, not able to do anything. I wasn’t able to do anything physical,” she said. “I didn’t realize this could be it. It really changed my perspective on my career. I realized how much I love the game. Before that, I thought maybe I’ll play another one or two years.

“After that, I thought I’d play as long as God gives me the health to play. I appreciate what I do now so much more, even though it’s tougher now. It’s more worthwhile.”

She consulted a nutritionist, changed her diet and started drinking more liquids during matches. Progress is starting to come and her comeback clearly was boosted by the victory over Martinez. It was her first victory over a top-10 player since last May, when she defeated Gabriela Sabatini in the final at Strasbourg, France.

“It’s like when you go out and play golf and you are shanking every ball,” Fernandez said. “But if you go out and hit one good ball, it gives you enough energy and motivation to come out the next day.

“That was the case today.”

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Tennis Notes

In the other quarterfinal matches, the world’s No. 1 player, Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, needed to scrape off a bit of rust as she fought off two set points in the 12th game of the first set to defeat unseeded Chanda Rubin, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. Fourth-seeded Natasha Zvereva of Belarus defeated unseeded Elena Likhovtseva of Kazakhstan, 6-4, 6-0.