Gabriela Sabatini

Top-seeded Chris Evert Lloyd struggled through the second set but came back to beat Gabriela Sabatini, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Women's Tennis Assn. Championship at Amelia Island, Fla. "She did everything right," Lloyd said of the 14-year-old Argentine she had defeated in the final of a $200,000 tournament last Sunday at Hilton Head Island, S.C. "Last week, it was unexpected when she made the final. But this week, it wasn't. She's playing great tennis right now."

Gabriela Sabatini, who parlayed her glamorous profile and classic strokes into one of the most lucrative careers in tennis history, will announce her retirement Thursday in the city of her two greatest triumphs. Winless for nearly two years and coming off a straight-sets, first-round loss to Jennifer Capriati in Switzerland, the 26-year-old Argentine will call it quits at a news conference at Madison Square Garden.

She had mentioned it only once, a few days before. Debbie Edwards of the Women's Tennis Assn. Tour had asked Gabriela Sabatini, in passing, if she had anything to donate to a fund-raising auction for women's athletics at the University of Florida. Now, Edwards came across Sabatini in the locker room moments after her upset loss to Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round of last year's Wimbledon tournament.

Jennifer Capriati walked off the court with a wave and a smile Monday, refreshed about life and tennis despite a straight-set loss to Gabriela Sabatini. Sabatini won, 6-1, 6-4, in the fourth round of the Lipton Championships, interrupting a comeback but reviving a rivalry dormant for the past three years. "I could have done a little bit better," said Capriati, who officially puts her teenage years behind her Friday when she turns 20.

Jennifer Capriati was last seen blowing kisses in the Barcelona breeze. The object of her affection? A hunk of gold that became the pinnacle of her Olympic experience. A similar scenario is unlikely after the championship of the Mazda Tennis Classic is decided Aug. 30 at the La Costa Resort & Spa. The prize is a bright yellow sports car. The car could go to Capriati, the Olympic gold medalist from Saddlebrook, Fla.

Fifth-seeded Conchita Martinez advanced to the second round of the Virginia Slims of Philadelphia by defeating Nathalie Herreman, 6-4, 6-1. Steffi Graf, Gabriela Sabatini, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Jennifer Capriati drew byes and did not play Monday. Monica Seles is not defending her championship.

International Tennis Federation officials said Martina Navratilova and Gabriela Sabatini will be ineligible for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics for skipping the Federation Cup, which begins today. Top-ranked Monica Seles of Yugoslavia could also be barred because of her late withdrawal from that 32-nation competition. Seles says she is "not in the form I want to be in" because of recent injuries.

In the ever-changing landscape of the State Farm Evert Cup, Monica Seles and Gabriela Sabatini pulled out Tuesday because of injuries, and Jennifer Capriati accepted a wild card and will play. Thus, the much-anticipated clash between Seles and Steffi Graf (who accepted a wild card Monday night) will not take place. Those eager to catch a glimpse of the elusive Seles, only months into her comeback, will now have a chance to see the evasive Capriati, one month into her comeback.

The probability of Steffi Graf and Monica Seles meeting in the women's singles final at the U.S. Open has created its own kind of urgency here in the last two weeks. Graf and Seles, seeded No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, have seemingly been destined to play for the title as surely as if lines had been traced from their names at the top and bottom of the draw to today's intersecting point.

Mary Joe Fernandez left the U.S. Open healthy, if not completely happy. Her winning streak here was ended Tuesday in the quarterfinals by Gabriela Sabatini. The ninth-seeded Sabatini won, 6-1, 6-3. Fernandez, seeded 14th, had upset Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the fourth round and has been enjoying a relatively injury-free summer. Fernandez, 24, from Miami, had hoped she might catch Sabatini on an off day as she had at another Grand Slam tournament two years ago.

Jim Courier wandered out of his strange wilderness and into contention at the U.S. Open on Tuesday, thumping foot-sore French Open champion Thomas Muster in straight sets on a day when upsets reigned. There was no indifference by Courier this time, none of the haphazard stretches or moody moments that have marked his descent in the rankings.

Nothing so far has managed to give Monica Seles pause on her inexorable path to the final of the du Maurier Ltd. Canadian Open this week. Why should a little sentiment trip her up now? Facing a loyal friend and steadfast supporter in the semifinals Saturday, Seles didn't so much as tap the brakes before running over Gabriela Sabatini in 49 minutes, 6-1, 6-0. Seles managed to reduce the No. 8 player in the world to an unusual position of defenselessness.

Chanda Rubin floated into the tennis world's consciousness at this year's French Open as the player who, having been down 0-5, 0-40 in the third set against Jana Novotna, staved off nine match points and won in one of the year's biggest comebacks. Then Rubin, No. 22 in the world, had a flash of fame at Wimbledon when she was one of the players involved in the longest-ever match at a Grand Slam event, 58 games, and the longest-ever final set at Wimbledon, 2 hours 4 minutes.

She had mentioned it only once, a few days before. Debbie Edwards of the Women's Tennis Assn. Tour had asked Gabriela Sabatini, in passing, if she had anything to donate to a fund-raising auction for women's athletics at the University of Florida. Now, Edwards came across Sabatini in the locker room moments after her upset loss to Lindsay Davenport in the fourth round of last year's Wimbledon tournament.