Tennis: Seles on the rack

If Monica Seles was seeking a tough work-out prior to Wimbledon, it came yesterday in the powerful shape of Brenda Schultz-McCarthy in the quarter-finals of the Direct Line Championships.

Seles's prospects of making a successful defence of the only grass-court title of her career was in the balance when rain ended play for the day with her Dutch opponent leading, 7-5, 2-2.

Broken while serving for the opening set at 5-3, Seles was made to appear sluggish once Schultz-McCarthy gained confidence in her own deliveries.

The second set was going with serve, and in analysing the course of events before stepping out again today, Seles would do well to remind herself that she lost sets in three of her four previous victories against Schultz- McCarthy.

Their first encounter, and the only other occasion they met on grass, was in the first round at Wimbledon in 1989, Seles prevailing, 7-6, 1- 6, 6-4.

In the only other quarter-final to get under way yesterday, Natasha Zvereva, of Belarus, led Nathalie Tauziat, of France, 6-4.

Weather permitting, two rounds of the tournament will be played today. Play is due to commence at 11am.

n Bjorn Borg, the five times Wimbledon champion from Sweden, beat Argentina's Guillermo Vilas 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 (tiebreak final set), on the opening day of the ATP Senior Tour in Prague. The four-day event includes only Grand Slam or Davis Cup winners over 35 years of age.