Lawn Tennis MAJOR FIRST-ROUND UPSET AT WIMBLEDON

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28313, 26 June 1957, Page 19

Lawn Tennis MAJOR FIRST-ROUND UPSET AT WIMBLEDON

Press Association —Copyright)

(Rec. 8 p.m.) LONDON, June 24. There was one major upset on the first day of the Wimbledon singles championship when an unseeded player, 24-year-old Luis Ayala, of Chile, beat the thirdseeded American, Ham Richardson. 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. Two New Zealanders, J. E. Robson and P. G. Nicholls, were beaten, but of the other two, E. T. Parker is leading D. B. Hughes (Britain) 3-6, 8-6, 6-3 with a 3-0 advantage in the fourth set and L. A. Gerrard has yet to play. Rain today washed out many games.

Lewis Hoad moved easily into the second round, but Mervyn Rose was pushed hard to beat the big serving Peruvian Alex Olmedo, in a match which, although it did not reach the expected pitch of excitement, certainly proved the evenness of the two players. Rose won after three hours, 7-5, 12-10, 5-7, 6-1. The unseeded Olmedo, to whom Rose, at 27 conceded six years, is ranked twelfth in America. Hoad in Form

Hoad’s match against the French Davis Cup player Pierre Darmon would have been an anti-climax to the Richardson upset and the Rose-Olmedo struggle had it not revealed the Australian titledefender in such promising form.

Hoad’s service was erratic, but it seemed that whenever he needed a game he was able to produce some really thunderbolt mixtures which the Frenchman could not survive. Hoad volleyed well and returned service brilliantly to the Frenchman’s feet. Hoad’s —as well- as other players’—foot movement at the moment of service gave rise to some controversy over footfaulting, which continued throughout ’ the day among Wimbledon officials.

Hoad appeared to lift his left foot when he served. The Wimbledon umpires have been instructed to treat leniently foot-fault breaches involving the movement of the regulation stationary foot. The umpires have been told to consider a movement of up to 12 inches not unreasonable.

Richardson began brilliantly against Ayala, and hardly put a ball out of place in taking the first set, 6-3, on the centre court, which for the previous 90 minutes had been completely covered from heavy rain. But Ayala began the second set with an obvious will to win. He moved into the net at every opportunity, and broke Richardson’s service in the seventh game for a 4-3 lead which he turned into 5-3. Richardson held his service, but Ayala held his in the final game to take the set, 6-4. Ayala took the third and fourth sets, 7-5, 6-4, for a great and deserved victory. It was the fifth time that the pair had met and the first that Ayala had won. Richardson, who is studying at Oxford, said afterwards: “Luis was just too good. He did everything just a little better.”

Richardson said the court had been slippery, but he blamed his lack of match practice for his downfall. N.Z. Players’ Matches New Zealand’s top player, Robson, lost to the Queensland player, Mai Anderson, in four sets. Robson got off to a fine beginning, and was two games ahead before Anderson showed signs of any punch. He was playing with an infected toe, and throughout the game was obviously conscious of it. Robson was serving and volleying at the top of his form, and his 6-1 win was a true indication of his early superiority. He met much sterner opposition in the second and third sets, and could not maintain the pace set by Anderson in the final. Anderson, although limping, seldom let his defence be penetrated. Fiveall in the second set, he took his own service, and although Robson tried to stave him off, he was able to break through to even the match situation.

Leading 4-2 in the third set, Anderson began to hit wildly, and this, coupled with some really clever placing by Robson, brought the score to four-all, then fiveall. But Anderson slammed and volleyed to another 7-5 victory. Both were tiring, and in Robson’s case the ball too often seemed just out of reach. He managed to hold *on tenaciously in the fourth set, and from being down 4-1 brought the score to 5-4, but his staying power was gone, and he lost the match with a love game. The game between Parker and Hughes broke off at a most interesting stage. Parker, after losing the first set, had won the succeeding two and led by three games to nil in the fourth set. He lost his opening service. He took the first point but dropped the following four to be one game down. Hughes won his own service after four deuces, but Parker then had a most successful burst, beating Hughes with good placing and finding him well out of position to return backhands. He lost touch, however, and by indifferent tennis let Hughes establish a 5-3 lead and go on against Parker’s service to win the first set.

It seemed as though Hughes was likely to set the pace, but Parker was not to be so treated. He took first blood in the second set, breaking through Hughes’s service and had three games in a row by continually drumming at the sideline. He put pressure on to even at 6-6, won the next game on his own service and went on to take the set with a love game. Hughes was tiring and Parker knew when to press the advantage. He gave him no peace, sent him dodging all over the court and won the third set, 6-3. Nicholls and Katz were a wellmatched pair and it was only the luck of the game which frequently made so much difference. The games in the first set alternated with service until gaining a 5-4 lead, Katz broke through Nicholls’s service to win. A love

game to Katz at 2-2 in the second set started steadily wearing down his New Zealand opponent. Tomorrow the first day of the women’s events will be combined with the backlog of men’s singles. The most interesting game on the women’s programme will be that of top-seeded Althea Gibson, who meets the number one Hungarian, Mrs Suzy Kormoczi, on the centre court Results were: Men’s Singles First Round.—M. J. Franks (U.S.) beat G. Fachini (Italy) by default; N. A. Fraser (Australia) beat N. Aguirre (Chile), 6-1, 6-2, 6-0; J. Drobny (Egypt) beat S. Stockenberg (Sweden), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3; K. Kamo (Japan) beat C. Crawford (United States), 6-3, 6-3, 6-3; R. Becker (Britain) beat G. L. Forbes (South Africa), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3; H. W. Stewart (United States) beat J. I. lattersall (Britain), 6-2, 6-2, 6-4; L. A. Hoad (Australia) beat Pierre Darmon (France), 6-2, 6-4, 6-3; M. Froesch (Switzerland) beat I. Piecevic (Jugoslavia), 7-5, 7-5, 6-0; A. Palafox (Mexico) beat C. V. Baxter (Britain), 6-4, 6-3, 6-3; D. R. Oliver (Britain) beat J. F. Robinson (Britain), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. M. G. Davis (Britain) beat J. Arkinstall (Australia), 6-2, 6-0, 6-3; N. C. Gibson (Australia) beat W. Skonecki, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1; Luis Ayala (Chile) beat Ham Richardson (United States), 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4: B. Washer (Belgium) beat R. D. Bennett (Britain), 9-7, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4; J. M. Ward (Britain) beat O. S. Prenn (Britain), 4-6, 6-1, 9-7, 6-3; R. Bedard (Canada) beat T. Ulrich (Denmark), 9-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-1. N. Kumar (India) beat R. N. Howe (Australia), 8-6, 9-7, 7-5; O. Sirola (Italy) beat E. R. Bulmer (Britain), 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3; M. Anderson (Australia) beat J. E. Robson (New Zealand), 1-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4; V. Seixas (United States) beat C. P. Mayne (United States), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3; B. J. Katz (Rhodesia) beat P. G. Nicholls (New Zealand), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3; B. Patty (United States) beat A. Huber (Austria), 6-3, 6-4, 6-I.' M. G. Rose (Australia) beat A. Olmedo (Peru), 7-5, 12-10, 5-7, 6-1; E. Ryes (Mexico) beat R. F. Kipping (Britain), 5-7, 0-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-4; A. Jancso (Stateless) beat A. J. Clayton (Britain), 3-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, 6-2.