LAWN TENNIS AUSTRALIA LEADS IN DAVIS CUP

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28987, 31 August 1959, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS AUSTRALIA LEADS IN DAVIS CUP

Only One Singles Win Needed To Beat U.S.

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright)

(Rec. 7.30 p.m.) FOREST HILLS, August 29. Australia gained a vital 2-1 lead in the 1959 challenge round of the Davis Cup against the United States today by winning a rain-interrupted doubles match in three sets.

The Victorian left-hander, Neale Fraser, and Roy Emerson, of Queensland, combined brilliantly to beat Alex Olmedo and Earl Buchholz, 7-5, 7-5, 6-4, in 85min actual play.

The win, highlighted by Fraser’s continued brilliant serving and Emerson’s classic challenge round debut, gave Australia what the team captain, Harry Hopman, called “a particularly nice edge” in the tie. Australia enters the final two singles tomorrow with a singles win by either Rod Laver or Fraser sufficient to send the cup back to Australia.

They will play the Wimbledon champion Olmedo and Barry Mackay respectively.

Emerson’s brilliance with return of service today brought plaudits from all corners No-one was surprised when Hopman called the Fraser-Emer-son victory “their best win ever—better than at Wimbledon.”

A tropical downpour stopped play when Australia led 7-5, 6-5 and 15-all on Emerson’s service in what proved the final game of the second set.

The players reappeared 80min later, still in the spikes they had donned in light rain at the end of the ninth game of the second set

The torrential rain after the suspension of play sent the crowd of 7000 and many distinguished guests, among them the United States Defence Secretary and the Australian Ambassador to Washington, scurrying for shelter. But nearly everybody stayed out of the rain to watch the superb Australian team finish off the match and throw the tie Australia's way. The pro-American crowd went home far from happy about their chances tomorrow and with Olmedo’s second successive failure as the chief topic.

Buchholz did everything asked of him today, but Olmedo dropped service repeatedly and was generally out of touch—this from

the player tipped as the United States mainstay.

Hopman, commenting tonight on the likely outcome of the tie. smiled and said: “Any team which has a 2-1 lead can say it has a particularly nice edge.” Like Kramer, he chose Emerson’s return of service as the most telling factor and dubbed Fraser’s service record for the first two sets "remarkable.” Fraser dropped only one point in six service games to this stage. The United States captain, Perry Jones, said: “We don’t feel that because of this loss we are out of it.’’