The Michigan Daily-Thursday, July 6, 1978-Page 15
MARTINA BEATS LIMPING GOOLAGONG
Evert aces Navratilova in final
WIMBLEDON, England (AP)-Chris
Evert tamed the big-serving defending
champion Virginia Wade 8-6, 6-2 in a
fickle wind yesterday and reached the
Wimbledon tennis final for the 'fourth
time in six years.
She will meet Martina Navratilova,
the Czech who defected to the United
States two years ago, on Friday.
Navratilova patiently wore down an in-
jured, limping Evonne Goolagong 2-6, 6-
4, 6-4 in the other semifinal.
THE AUSTRALIAN needed three in-
jections of xylocaine in her left ankle
before the match and was increasingly
hobbled as the duel went on. At the end
she was almost at a standstill.
Evert is aiming for her third Wim-
bledon title and a first prize of $30,780.
It will be Navratilova's first final.
The men will play their semifinals
today. Defending champion Bjorn Borg
will take on unseeded Tom Okker, who
upset seeded players Guillermo Vilas
and Ilie Nastase. Jimmy Connors, the
1974 champion who lost to Borg here
last year, will face fellow American
Vitas Gertulaitis.
A packed crowd of 14,000 at center
court watched the downfall of Wade,
Britain's heroine of a year ago, in con-
ditions more suited to the Winter Olym-
pics than tennis.
"THE WIND WENT round in circles
and it showed in our serving," Evert
said. "Virginia doesn't usually serve so
many double faults."
The British player had difficulty
throwing the ball up and double-faulted
four times in her first two service
games, six times altogether.
Throughout the match her first service
was off target more often than not.
But the wind did not hamper Evert's
lobbing, one of the decisive factors in
the match. Whenever she lobbed she
won points, finding Wade's baseline
with unerring accuracy.
It was a reversal of last year's
semifinal, when Wade conquered Evert
in a tremendous battle before downing
Betty Stove of the Netherlands in the
final.
"IT WAS DIFFERENT then," Evert
said. "I was the defending champion
and she had everything to gain and was
more relaxed. Today the pressure was
on her. I looked at her eyes across the
net and I could see she was nervous."
Goolagong, the 1971 titlist and three
times the defeated finalist since then,
could not cope with the powerful
Navratilova in her weakened condition.
The Australian made all the best
strokes, some of her backhands
drawing stirring roars from the crowd.
But the handicap was too great.
Navratilova toyed with her opponent
in the second set and raced to a 5-1 lead,
but Goolagong struck back with
graceful strokes and took three games
in a row before a net cord helped
Navratilova win the last game of the
set.
GOOLAGONG KEPT pace with her
rival and led 4-3 in the final set, but the
drama reached a poignant climax on
the last point of the seventh game.
Goolagong won it with a lob-and
screamed with pain as she made the
shot.
Navratilova gave her a startled look,
and the ball sailed over her head and
dropped on the baseline. The ex-Czech
claimed she was distracted and wanted
the point played again, but the umpire
ruled it should stand.
Goolagong took a long time to get
ready for the next game, walking
around the umpire's chair and
cautiously trying out her bad foot.
When she limped out to play again she
managed only 4 points in three games,
an" "' w" a"l n"p
VITAS GERULAITIS of the United States returns a shot from Brian Gottfried during their Wimbledon match Tuesday.
Gerulaitis hung on to win 7-5, 4-6, 9-7, 6-2, and will meet Jimmy Connors in the semifinals,
Nastase gets slapped
for sassy
LONDON (AP)-A subdued Ilie
Nastase accepted his $5,000 fine and
three-month suspension from Grand,
Prix tennis without appeal yesterday.
But he accused authorities of
discriminatory practices.
"Given that I am imperfect," he said
in a formal statement, "then it also
should be recognized that those who sit
in judgment over the players both on
and off the court are sometimes imper-
fect.
"Yet also, it seems, I am the only one
who is forced to pay for his mistakes."
Moments after he had lost his quar-
ter-final singles match in the Wim-
bledon championships to Tom Okker
Tuesday, the 31-year-old Romanian
firebrand was informed by the Pro
Council of his penalty for violations of
the code of conduct covering a 2%k-year
period. The council is the governing
body of the year-long Grand Prix
tourament series.
Under the ban, Nastase will not be'
conduct
allowed to play in Grand Prix events for
three months, beginning July 10. This
includes the U.S. Open championship,
but he is not restrained from other
competition, such as the World Cham-
pionship of Tennis Invitation tournament
next week in Forest Hills, N.Y., and the
World Team Tennis.
Nastase is player-coach for the Los
Angeles WTT franchise.
Nastase appearing at the hastily
called press conference in a midtown
London hotel, said he regretted being
unable to play in the U.S. Open at
Flushing Meadow, N.Y., a tournament
he won in 1972, but he planned no legal
action to get into the event.
SHORT or LONG
Haircutting By Experts
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July 6& 7
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