Tennis Roundup : White Reaches Semifinals With Another Upset Win

Robin White scored her second major upset in two days Thursday, ousting seventh-seeded Gabriela Sabatini of Argentina, 6-3, 7-5, to reach the semifinals of a women’s grass court tournament at Eastbourne, England.

White, who defeated second-seeded Hana Mandlikova Wednesday, said she went into her quarterfinal match determined to carefully place her shots against Sabatini, who prefers clay courts to the faster grass courts.

“I noticed Gabriela likes the ball right up around her waist,” said White, 22, of San Jose. “I tried to get the ball short and low to her. That gave her just as much trouble as a drop shot.”

In other matches, top-seeded Martina Navratilova, third-seeded Claudia Kohde-Kilsch of West Germany and fifth-seeded Helena Sukova of Czechoslovakia also won.

Navratilova, going for her fifth consecutive title at Eastbourne, defeated Etsuko Inoue of Japan, 6-3, 6-2; Kohde-Kilsch overpowered seventh-seeded Zina Garrison, 6-2, 7-5, while Sukova beat Larissa Savchenko of the Soviet Union, 6-1, 6-2.

In today’s semifinals, White meets Sukova, and Navratilova faces Kohde-Kilsch. Navratilova has beaten Kohde-Kilsch in 14 of 16 matches.

France’s Henri Leconte, riled because his opponent accused him of faking an injury, defeated Michiel Schapers of the Netherlands, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, in a quarterfinal match at Bristol, England.

Leconte, who injured his ankle in the second set, said Schapers had accused him of faking the injury.

“I was not, and his remark made me annoyed,” said the top-seeded Leconte. “And when we started again I felt more aggressive. This tournament is no big deal to me, but after what he said, I was determined to win.”