Teen Tennis Star Gavaldon Says No to Pro Status Now

MELBOURNE, Australia — Teen-age amateur sensation Angelica Gavaldon turned her back on $24,000, saying she’s not sure she’s ready to play tennis for a living.

Gavaldon, 16, made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, her first Grand Slam tournament, before losing 6-4, 6-3 to West German Claudia Porwik today.

“The money is tempting,” Gavaldon admitted. “But I want to be sure I’m ready. This is the type of thing that makes you want to turn pro.”

Gavaldon, taking 11th-grade classes by correspondence, has yet to decide whether she wants to play full time on the tour or go to college.

If she turns professional, she will be ineligible to play in NCAA competition.

“One tournament is not enough,” she said. “I think I should play a couple more and see how I do. I just want to be really sure about my decision.”

The Coronado, Calif., resident came through three qualifying rounds at the Open with a ranking of 192. She then beat No. 7 Hana Mandlikova, a two-time champion here, and No. 15 Gigi Fernandez on the way to the quarters.

Gavaldon was the youngest quarterfinalist in the Open since Carling Bassett in 1983 and is now ranked in the top 100.

Gavaldon’s performance in the Open lifted her to the forefront of the new wave of young players set to challenge top-ranked Steffi Graf over the next few years.

Zina Garrison Upset. C3.