Maleevas Join Players Out of Carlsbad

Patricia Hy-Boulais beat Ann Grossman, 6-4, 7-5, in the Toshiba Tennis Classic on Monday to advance to a second-round match with top-seeded Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.

“I need to get my focus going,” Hy-Boulais said about Tuesday’s match with Sanchez Vicario. “I can’t allow myself to go in and out of a match like today. It’s very dangerous.”

The first-round match wasn’t quite the preparation Hy-Boulais had hoped for in anticipation of playing Sanchez Vicario, ranked No. 2 in the world.

“Throughout the match, I felt like I had a walkabout until I realized I’d better get my act going,” she said. “Then I was able to raise my level a notch higher to come back.” The rash of players pulling out of the $430,000 tournament at the La Costa Resort and Spa continued Monday as the Maleeva sisters, Magdalena (back) and Katerina (shoulder), withdrew because of injuries. Magdalena is ranked seventh in the world.

The tournament has now lost four of the world’s top seven players. Other ranked players who have withdrawn include Steffi Graf (back), co-ranked No. 1 in the world, No. 5 Jana Novotna (fatigue) and No. 6 Kimiko Date (shoulder, stomach muscle strain).

In another match on a day when none of the 16 seeded players saw action, Jana Nejedly of Canada pulled a mild upset with a 6-2, 7-5 victory over 61st-ranked Patty Fendick.