U.S. OPEN NOTEBOOK From Flushing, N.Y.

Gibson honored: For more than half her life, Zina Garrison heard the same advice from Althea Gibson: Work on your serve. Yet not until Gibson's funeral did Garrison truly understand what her friend and mentor meant. "Not only serving myself, but serving my community," Garrison said. Garrison joined John McEnroe and others in an on-court tribute to Gibson at the U.S. Open on Tuesday night, honoring the woman they called the "African-American mother of tennis." The festivities took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium before Serena Williams played Jennifer Capriati in the quarterfinals. Gibson, who died last Sept. 28 at 76, was the first black player to compete at Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships, as the Open was known in 1950. She won the singles title at both events in 1957-58, part of the 11 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles she took overall. Gibson also excelled at golf, and became the first black player on the LPGA Tour. "She gave all minorities a chance to break a lot of barriers," Garrison said during the ceremony. Gibson became the New Jersey state commissioner of athletics in 1975, ran for the state senate two years later and went on to establish the Althea Gibson Foundation to benefit urban and underprivileged youth in tennis. "It is truly appropriate to recognize the achievements of Althea Gibson here at the Open," McEnroe said. Garrison, now 40 and an Olympic gold medalist, first met Gibson at age 15. Garrison went on the become the first black woman to reach a Wimbledon final since Gibson.
Warming up: Former No. 1 Kim Clijsters hopes to return to action at the end of the month after missing most of the season with an injured left wrist. She would like to be healthy enough to play at the Gaz de France Stars tournament, which starts Sept. 27 in her native Belgium. "I'll try. Hopefully," Clijsters said Tuesday in the players' lounge at the U.S. Open after watching fiance Lleyton Hewitt beat Karol Beck 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 to reach the quarterfinals. Clijsters was the runner-up at the 2003 French Open and U.S. Open, briefly rising to the top of the rankings, and also reached the final of the 2004 Australian Open. But she's had problems with her left wrist since March and has not played competitively since early May, skipping the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open. Clijsters, who's right-handed but uses a two-fisted backhand, had surgery in June.
Elite eight: Jim Courier, Yannick Noah and Jana Novotna are among eight nominees for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The 2005 ballot, announced Tuesday in Newport, R.I., also includes Owen Davidson, Christine Truman Janes and Patricia Canning Todd in the Masters Category, and Earl "Butch" Buchholz, Jr. and Eiichi Kawatei in the Contributor Category. Courier was a two-time champion at both the Australian Open and French Open and spent 58 weeks ranked No. 1. In 1983, Noah was the first French player in 37 years to win the French Open. Novotna won Wimbledon in 1998 after reaching the finals in 1993 and 1997. Davidson won 10 mixed doubles championships, including the Grand Slam in 1967. Janes won the French Open in 1959 at age 18 and was ranked in the top 10 six times between 1957 and 1965. Todd won four majors, including the 1947 French singles crown. Buchholz was a founding member of the first men's players association in 1963. Kawatei is the former tournament director of both the Japan Open and Asian Open. Nominees must receive 75 percent affirmative votes for election. Results will be announced in January and winners will be inducted July 9.
Holding court: Gael Monfils kept up his bid to win the junior Grand Slam, overcoming a second-set stumble to beat Phillip Simmonds 7-5, 0-6, 6-2 Tuesday in the 18-and-under event at the Flushing Meadows. Monfils is trying to become the first player to win all four tournaments since Stefan Edberg in 1983. "If I think about the fourth Grand Slam, it's too much pressure. So I want to focus only on the U.S. Open," he said. ... Martina Navratilova and Lisa Raymond lost in doubles to Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva 6-7 (6), 7-6 (5), 6-1 Tuesday in the quarterfinals. Navratilova, 47, still can add to her total of 58 Grand Slam championships -- she and Leander Paes are in the semifinals of the mixed doubles.
Associated Press