LAWN TENNIS FINE VICTORY FOR MISS MORRISON

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29129, 15 February 1960, Page 17

LAWN TENNIS FINE VICTORY FOR MISS MORRISON

Australian Champion Beaten, 6-4, 6-1

(From Our Own Reporter) AUCKLAND, February 14. A big ovation, especially from the many Maoris present, was given to the New Zealand women’s singles champion, Miss R. Morrison, of Auckland, when she gained one of her finest wdns to date at the international invitation tournament at the Stanley Street courts today. She beat the 17-year-old winner of the Australian women’s singles, Miss M. Smith, comfortably, 6-4, 6-1. After looking a champion and highiy-attractiye player from the beginning of the tournament, R. Emerson, of Queensland, won the men’s singles that eluded him last year. Because of the strange happenings earlier in the tournament, today’s final between Emerson and the veteran New Zealand player, R. S. McKenzie, of Wellington, a member of a New Zealand Davis Cup team as long ago as 1949, was more like a semi-final with what was virtually a final played between Emerson and the unofficially top-ranked world amateur, N. A. Fraser, of Australia, on Saturday. The match which thrilled the crowd most today was a magnificent men's doubles final when Fraser and Emerson, the Australian Davis Cup pair, beat L. A. Gerrard and M. A. Otway, the New Zealand Davis Cup pair.

Fraser and Emerson are also Wimbledon doubles champions and the match today would not have disgraced Wimbledon or the Davis Cup challenge round. The Auckland crowd was not only clapping but cheering point after point as the New Zealanders put up such a fine performance against the best amateur doubles pair in the world. On Saturday in a match that was almost as good, Gerrard and Otway beat two other Australians, R. Laver and M. Mulligan, 6- 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 10-8, to reach the final. The score in today’s final was 7- 13-15, 9-7, 6-4 and Otway and Gerrard combined superbly and made a grand job of returning the fast services of their opponents. This doubles took two hours, and because of that the special match between the Australian and New Zealand champions, Laver and Gerrard, was not able to be played, but they will probably meet tomorrow at Wellington and on Tuesday in Christchurch. Emerson, whose stature is increasing rapidly, beat Fraser, whom he also beat in the Queensland title this season, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, and he looked a most polished player then. Against McKenzie, he was much too good and he won, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1, in 42 minutes, the same as the time taken for the two sets of the women’s final. A member of the victorious Australian Davis Cup team, Emerson has since won both the Queensland and South Australian titles and he was a finalist for the Victorian singles. His record as a doubles player with Fraser is also a fine one. Emerson Faultless Against both Fraser and McKenzie, Emerson was immaculately neat in both movement and stroke. Pitted against Fraser, a grand hitter, he won by his greater steadiness and better all-round play. Fraser was unbeatable when he was able to force a weak return from his booming service and cut it off with a volley, but if it came to any sort of exchange it was usually Emerson who scored. Fraser . had the power, but Emerson is also much more severe than he was a year ago, especially in service and he supported this with some brilliant cross-court backhands and some decisive passing volleys down the sidelines. Each scored an ace off second service during the game. Emerson had no marked weakness, although his smashing is not as decisive as it might be, and Fraser, although not as casual as he was in his match with M. A. Otway on Friday, was still prone to periods of bad error. He threw away

points with some very loose swishes at the ball, especially towards the end of the match when he seemed to lose interest. In the first set each broke service in the first two games and then Emerson gained the other in the sixth game for a 4-2 lead. He won the set at 6-3 and immediately broke Fraser’s service again. Fraser evened at 2-2 with a break, but Emerson gained another to lead, 5-4, and take the set, 6-4. Fraser got a good 4-1 lead in the third set and looked as if he was becoming more accurate, but he then lapsed again to give Emerson two breaks and a 6-4 set.

The match with McKenzie today was somewhat of an anti-climax for the result was a forgone conclusion. McKenzie gave some strong opposition in the first set when Emerson’s service was not going as well as it had the day before, but after that McKenzie dropped away. Emerson double-faulted several times in the early stages, but later he was putting his first service in frequently and McKenzie could not place well enough on the returns. Unlike Emerson, who puts a great deal of body movement into his deliveries, McKenzie serves almost with arm only and it was not nearly as effective. Again Emerson was able to leave his opponet standing with his swift cross-court volleys off the backhand. In his last game of the match he served two beautiful aces. Miss Smith Overwhelmed The stocky Maori girl, Miss Morrison, must have had fore-

bodings about her match with Miss Smith because of the quick way the tall, loosely-built Australian has gained a leading reputation. But on the court Miss Morrison did not appear at all overawed, and she went about the match with the same cool efficiency as she did when she beat another reputable Australian, Miss J. Lehane, in last year’s final. Miss Smith again looked stylish, as she has throughout the tournament. She keeps her left hand on her racket very late on both sides—but she was not in touch with the lines. On the other hand, Miss Morrison cut her errors to a minimum and most of the points she lost were from clear winners by Miss Smith. Miss Morrison’s second service was far from strong and it was landing only about mid-way in the service court, but Miss Smith failed to take full advantage of that. Her ground strokes looked good, but they were not accurate, and her errors were so many in the second set that she took only the one game. Miss Smith was better on the backhand side than the forehand and her backhand volleys were especially telling, but she had not the consistency of her determined opponent. Again Miss Smith had too many doubles faults. Miss Morrison was also in excellent form in her semi-final when she allowed the Wellington player, Miss M. Johnston, only one game. Miss Johnston was very slow in her anticipation and ability to get moving to the ball. The two Canterbury players at the tournament took part in the plate contests. C. G. Judge was beaten by R. Clarke, of Wellington. New Zealand junior champion 8-6, 5-7* 1-6, after he had led, 4-3 in the second set, and Miss J. Davidson scored a good win over Miss B. Bryant, of Auckland, but defaulted to Miss E. Green in the second round because she had to return home. Results:— Men’s Singles Semi-finals.—R. Emerson (Australia) beat N. A. Fraser (Australia). 6-3. 6-4, 6-4; R. S. McKenzie (Wellington) beat J. R. McDonald (Wellington), 4-6, 6-5, 7-5. 6-3. Final.—Emerson beat McKenzie, 6-3, 6-1, 6-1. Women’s Singles Semi-finals.—Miss Margaret Smith (Australia) beat Mrs W. J. Tinnock (Auckland), 6-3, 7-5; Miss R. M. Morrison (Auckland) beat Miss M. Johnston (Wellingtpn), 6-0, 6-1. . Final.—Miss Morrison beat Miss Smith, 6-4, 6-1. Men's Doubles Semi-finals.—Fraser and Emerson beat McKenzie and J. E. Robson (Auckland), 6-1, 6-2, 11-9; M. A. Otway (Auckland) and L. A. Gerrard (Auckland) beat R. A. Laver (Australia) and M. Mulligan (Australia), 6-4. 6-3, 4-6, 4-6, 10-8. Final.—Fraser and Emerson beat Otway and Gerrard, 7-5, 13-15, 9-7, 6Women’s Doubles Semi-finals.—Miss Margaret Smith and Miss Johnston beat Miss D. Taylor (Auckland) and E. Green (Auckland), 6-3, 6-2; Mrs Tinnock and Miss Morrison beat Misses B. Bryant (Auckland) and J. Glenle (Auckland). 6-3, 6-3. Final.—Mrs Tinnock and Miss Morrison beat Misses Smith and Johnston, 6-3, 6-1. , Mixed Doubles Semi-finals.—A. S. Burns (Auckland) and Miss Margaret Smith beat B. E. Woolf (Auckland) and Mrs Tinnock, 6-3, 3-6, 10-8; P. G. Nicholls (Auckland) and Miss Morrison beat K. H. Long (Auckland) and Miss Bryant, 7-5, 7-5. Final.—Nicholls and Miss Morrison beat Burns and Miss Smith, 7-5, 6-3 Intermediate Boys’ Plate First Round.—W. Coghland (Australia) beat J. B. Souter, 8-6, 6-3; R. G. Clarke beat G. L. Judge, 6-8, 7- 6-1. Second Round.—P. Dibley beat J. H. Lockington, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0; Coghland beat A. Chester, 6-0, 6-3; Clarke beat G. Campbell, 7-5, 6-8, 6-2; R. Hawkes beat I. Crokenden, 6-2, 6-2. Third Round.—Coghlan beat Dibley, 6-4, 6-1; Hawkes beat Clarke, 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.