THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 7, 1995 TAG: 9507070499
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PATTI WALSH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
Mashona Washington wants it all.
Steffi Graf's physique, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario's power, not to mention the fame, fortune and advertisement opportunities that come along with being one of the top women's tennis players in the world.
But for now, the 19-year-old will settle for a shot at the championship and the $1,600 prize in the U.S. Tennis Association Women's $10,000 Satellite event this week at Old Dominion.
``Everybody's here,'' said Washington, who is the tournament's second seeded player and ranked No. 350 in the world. ``All the same girls come to the same tournaments.''
And if Washington's face looks a little more familiar, it's because her older brother MaliVai Washington is a top-30 player and was a member of the U.S. Davis Cup Team when it went head-to-head with the Bahamas in 1993. Now, he stars in a Reebok commercial with Australian player Patrick Rafter.
Those blood ties and her explosive baseline game make her a favorite to reach Sunday's 1 p.m. finals. She didn't drop a set in victories over Farley Taylor and Jeri Ingram.
Washington scores the advantage having grown up with the unforgiving sun in Del Rey, Fla., where she used to tag along with her dad while he trained her older brothers and sisters.
``I started seriously hitting when I was 6 or 7,'' she added.
Now, her sister has taken over her training and is pleased with what she's seen this week with Mashona's game.
``I think she's doing well,'' Masanja Washington said. ``She's moving on the court and approaching the ball well.''
In an age where pestering relations can destroy a young players career, Mashona says she likes having her family around and their only rivalry is sharing Dad at different matches.
``Sometimes we'll crack jokes on each other, but we're mainly there to support each other,'' she said.
Washington, who just turned pro in January, has moved up about 100 spots since then and says the satellite events help her prepare for the bigger tournaments, like the U.S. Open where she made the qualifying round.
``At these satellites, I'm playing to get points and match sharpness for when I play some bigger tournaments,'' Washington said. ``I feel by the time I'm 20 or 21, I'll be farther down in the ranks than I already am.
``By the end of the year, I want to be where I can get in any tournament.
``But I've got a lot of work to do before they put my picture in any commercial.''
Play begins at 10 a.m. today. Washington plays Brie Rippner in the second match on the stadium court. Top seed Jane Taylor of Australia, who defeated Ling Wu, 6-4, 6-3, on Thursday, plays Audra Brannon in the following match. ILLUSTRATION: Like brother, like sister
BILL TIERNAN
Staff
Mashona Washington returns a serve in a doubles match of the USTA of
Norfolk tournament at Old Dominion Thursday. ``I've got a lot of
work to do before they put my picture in any commercial,'' said the
No. 2 singles seed and sister of MaliVai Washington.
by CNB