THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 7, 1994 TAG: 9408070255
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines
Claudine Toleafoa proved Saturday that it's okay to be in a see-saw tennis match - as long as you're the one that's up when the ride is over.
Despite losing eight straight games at one point, the second-seeded Toleafoa snapped back to form and eliminated fourth-seeded Petra Gaspar 7-6, 5-7, 6-2, to reach the final of the $10,000 USTA Women's Circuit of Norfolk tennis tournament at Old Dominion.
The New Zealand-born Toleafoa will meet third-seeded Karin Miller of Bradenton, Fla., in the singles final today at 10 a.m. Miller wore down Lucie Ludvigova of the Czech Republic, 6-2, 6-3.
The Toleafoa-Gaspar match, featuring two hard-hitting baseliners, was nip-and-tuck through the first set. The rest of the action, however, was marked by some wild swings in momentum. Toleafoa won five of the next six games. Gaspar then ripped off eight in a row. Finally, down 2-0 in the third, Toleafoa took the final six games.
In the first semifinal, the 16-year-old Miller, who was ranked second in the nation in the girls 18s last year, used high, soft shots to subdue Ludvigova.
Toleafoa is using this circuit in an attempt to regain the form which once had her among the world's top 50 players.
In the doubles final, it's Miller and Varalee Sureephong (1) of Haines City, Fla. vs. Toleafoa and Gail Biggs of Australia. by CNB