Martinas Duel at Harvard

As tennis great Billie Jean King looked on, two of the biggest names in the history of women’s tennis—Martina Navratilova and Martina Hingis—toed opposite service lines yesterday in the most unlikely of venues, Harvard’s Bright Hockey Center.

In its second home World TeamTennis (WTT) match, the Boston Lobsters fell 23-15 to the New York Sportimes at the Bright Center, which will be the Lobsters’ home arena for its three-week season.

WTT is a professional tennis league in its thirtieth year of existence, although this is the Boston Lobsters’ first year in the league since 1978.

The Sportimes’ victory hinged on Hingis, 24, who took down Navratilova, 48, in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles sets. Hingis won 15 games to Navratilova’s 4.

“I thought I played pretty well,” Navratilova said, later adding, “It was the best I played, and I got whooped.”

Hingis’ strength was clearest in the women’s singles set, which she won 5-0. WTT rules provide for five events—men’s and women’s singles and doubles, and mixed doubles. Each match consists of one five-game set.

Although early in the singles match she fought hard for points, Navratilova—Sports Illustrated’s fourteenth greatest athlete of all time—barely broke into a match that never really went her way. Navratilova repeatedly struck a frustrated pose, jerking her head towards the rink’s wood-boarded ceiling and throwing up her arms in exasperation after double-faulting in her service game and returning volleys directly into the net.

Navratilova paired up with Daja Bedanova in women’s singles, putting up their best showing of their night early and advancing to an initial 2-0 set lead. New York rallied—and despite Navratilova’s athletic prowess, which she showed off with an improbable leaping cross-court backhand volley—won the set 5-3, as Hingis nailed a series of deep shots.

Navratilova’s age showed by her third set, a mixed-doubles contest played with Lobsters alternate Jonathan B. Chu ’05 that the twosome lost 5-1 to Hingis and Mark Merklein.

“She’s just such a good tactician. I had a lot of fun trying to find a way to beat her,” Navratilova said, summarizing her reaction to the day as “Energized by my game, disappointed by my result.”

Thomas J. Blake ’98 and Chu constituted a Harvard alumni duo in the evening’s first match, demonstrating strong game management early before succumbing in a sudden-death match tiebreaker to fall 5-4.

Blake, 6’5”, delivered Boston’s sole victory on the night, winning his last two games to defeat New York’s Robert Kendrick 5-3.

Marquee player and former Crimson standout James R. Blake, a member of the Class of 2001, will play against the Springfield Lasers on Monday.

WTT matches pit gender-balanced teams, and team scoring is cumulative of total game victories.

The match-up was the second of seven home games. The WTT season runs for three weeks, in which Boston will play 14 matches. Navratilova will play four more, including one at home on July 21.

The stadium was close to full, as 2,755 spectators paid for tickets at prices starting at $45. Primarily corporate-owned box seats ringed the court, which was centered in the rink.

A jazz band played at the pre-game tailgate, and the concession food was supplied by Legal Seafoods—including, cannibalistically, lobster salad.

And, thanks to a traditionally rowdy Boston fans, the Lobsters enjoyed a distinct home-team advantage in the matches.

The WTT format stripped the sport of some of its pedigree, and an announcer bellowed long calls reminiscent of televised Mexican soccer matches and played clips of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” between sets. Fan participation is encouraged, and spectators whooped, clapped, and knocked noisemakers together before serves and between points.

Down 4-0 in her singles set, Navratilova played her home court, looking to the crowd and gesturing to solicit cheering.

Everyone, however, seemed to have trouble with Bright’s bright overhead lighting.

“It’s incredibly difficult to track the ball when you’re trying a toss-up on the serve,” Chu said. “You have to trust yourself and your timing.”

The overhead beams weren’t the only blinding lights for Chu, who shared the court with two of his sport’s legends.

“I grew up watching highlight videos of [Navratilova] playing center court at Wimbledon,” Chu said. “She’s as large as the game. It’s a dream come true.”

Chu hasn’t traveled far from last year, when he advanced to the NCAA semifinals wearing Crimson and after playing home matches mere yards from Bright.

“It certainly means a lot to come back and be here, and be with a great organization like the Boston Lobsters,” Chu said.

“This still feels like home,” he added.

After playing from 1974-1978, the Lobsters franchise returned to Boston this year.

Other big names in the league range from contemporary stars like Andy Roddick and 2005 Wimbledon women’s singles champion Venus Williams to legendary warhorses like Boris Becker and John McEnroe.

Last night’s match will be broadcast on delay on ESPN2 on Saturday at 11 p.m.

—Staff writer Samuel C. Scott can be reached at sscott@fas.harvard.edu.