LAWN TENNIS Top-Seeded Woman Eliminated

Press, Volume C, Issue 29651, 23 October 1961, Page 17

LAWN TENNIS Top-Seeded Woman Eliminated

The top seeded woman, Mias J. Davidson, who is also ranked top in Canterbury and third In New Zealand, win not be taking part in the final of the Canterbury Dawn Tennis Association's Labour week-end tournament at Wilding Park today. Miss Davidson, erratic as she so often is at the beginning of a season, was eliminated yesterday in a semi-final by Mrs P. Leopold. In the same toomament last year Miss Davidson was also put out in the semi-finals but that time by Mrs D. McKinnel. This time Mrs McKinnel was herself beaten in the semi-finals —-by Miss K. Williams. Mrs Leopold, seeded third, beat Miss Davidson. 2-fi, 8-4. 6-1, and Miss Williams, seeded fourth, beat Mrs McKinnel, second. 6-4. 6-2. In the men's singles final, last year's winner, G. Moss — he was the winner of all the four open tournaments in Christchurch last season—will play W. Thom. Moss was seeded first and Thom second. In the semi-finals Moss beat a 17-year-old Christchurch Boys’ High School player, G. Ford. 6-4. 6-2, and Thom beat P. Alexander, who has been playing in country districts for a few seasons, 6-3, 6-3. Ford was seeded third because of his improvement in recent weeks and he well justified it. The fourth seeded player, L. Watkins, of Rangiora, was put out in the first round by Alexander. The tournament was played on the hard courts on Saturday morning and yesterday afternoon with the conditions well-nigh perfect on Saturday but affected a little by a tricky wind yesterday. The singles finals will be played first this morning and the doubles finals after that. Speed About Court Ford gave a most attractive exhibition against Moss and Moss himself was very surprised at some of the shots that were returned to him. A well-built lad, Ford showed remarkable speed around the court and Moss, who is noted for a severe smash, even had several of those returned to him. A much-improved player on last season, Ford now has a powerful basic game and highly-developed net play, which was even more in evidence in his earlier singles matches and in his doubles. Against Moss he did not get as many chances to go in but he took those that were offering and often scored from them. Ford perhaps has a service weakness. It is very sharply sliced, sometimes just a drawing of the racket across the ball and there is no doubt that it will give trouble to players he meets on the grass courts. However, he appears to be trying for too much slice. This was the only feature of his game which disappointed. In this tournament last season, Moss lost hardly a game; in fact for many matches at the beginning of last season he lost few games. He did not have quite the same toueh and control yesterday as he did at this time last year and he made more errors. But he is still the best looking player in this tournament and looks set for another successful season. He hit cleanly and volleyed and smashed well but he put a few more into the net than usual and he was certainly given a harder task by Ford than he was by any player in last season’s Labour week-end tournament. Moss led at 3-1 and 4-2 but Ford was only one game behind at 3-4 and 4-5 in the first set. His best effort was in taking Moss’s service to love to catch up to 3-4. At the beginning of the second .set Moss was too strong but Ford fought hard for every point. Moss went to a 4-0 lead before Ford got a game. Ford got his second game to be 2-5.

Better Form Thom was in better form yesterday than he was on Saturday. In his first-round match against M. C. Healey, a player of many years standing and a New Zealand selector, he was sorely pressed and might even have lost. Healey retired with the score at Thom, 6-3, 4-6, 6-6. Healey played some very fine tennis against his younger opponent. Yesterday Thom beat J. Brebner, 6-3. 6-3 in the second round and then Alexander by the same score. It was a fairly even semi-final but Thom had slightly the more pace and his tour overseas last year also gave him more experience. The tall Thom went to the net as often as he could and his placement of volleys was telling. Alexander had his usual good control and he played some neat shots but he did not have quite Thom's power A second-round match between Alexander and the young Lincoln player. W Edgecumbe. was also an attractive one. Alexander won. 6-2, 6-2, but Edgecumbe impressed again with his calm demeanour and ability to cover the court and play down the sidelines. He was able to pass Alexander several Umes in this way. Another early match of interest was the defeat of a visitor from Southland, J. Mahoney, by A. Brooks Brooks is the present Canterbury under 17 champion and he looks to be hitting the ball harder than he was before he visited Australia under “The Press’’ grant. Mahoney beat Thom in a semi-final of the last Easter tournament in Christchurch before he went down to Moss in the final and it was thought he would be too strong for Brooks. Brooks won. 6-4. 7-5. but was beaten 6-8. 6-3, by Ford in the second round.

Mita Davidson began her match with Mrs Leopold as if she would win in good style. She took Mrs Leopold's service in the first match and at this stage was serving and volleying strongly. In earlier matches of the tournament she had been putting her smashes out or into the net. but even these were winning her points in the first set of the semi-finals. She took it 6-2. The second set was a close one. Mrs Leopold had a lead of 5-2 but Miss Davidson caught up well to 4-5 and then had a very long game on her service with many deuces. She had her chances to even but Mrs Leopold won the game and the set. Mrs Leopold had been hitting a lot into the net in the first set but she had tightened up in the second. In the third she returned well and Miss Davidson got worse and worse. She had shown some lapses of concentration in the second set, not watching the ball, especially on the backhand side, and these became more frequent. Miss Williams showed that she is hitting more strongly than she has in previous seasons when she beat Mrs McKinnel. She served and volleyed well and used all the court. Mrs McKinneL who is noted for her returning and retrieving ability in long matches, was not able to get the initiative and she was not getting to the ball as well as she might have. She also made many more mistakes than usual. Men’s Singles First Round.—G Moss beat D. C. Gray. 6-1, 6-0; M. O’Malley beat J. CulMngton, 2-6. 6-6, 6-4; A. Brooks beat J. Mahoney. 6-4. 7-5; G. Ford beat L. Sanford. 6-3, 6-4; P. Alexander beat L. Watkins, 5-7. 6-2, 6-2: W. Edgecumbe beat R. G. H'astie. 5- 6-3, 8-2; J. Brebner beat I. Stanton. 6-2, 7-5; W. Thom v. M. C. Healey. 6-3, 4-6, 6-6 (Healey retired); Alexander beat FMnit, 6-4, 6-3. Second Round.—Moes beat Oiaaliley, 6-1, 6-1; Ford beat Brooks. 6-3, 6-3; Alexander beat Edigecumbe, 6-2. 6-2; Thom beat Brebner, 8-3. 8-3. Semi-finals.—Moss beat Ford, 8- 6-2; Thom beat Alexander. 6- 6-3. Women's Singles First Round.—Miss P. Craytihorne beat Miss D. Hopping. 6- 6-2; Mrs P. Leopold beat Miss D. Cori oh, 6-1. 6-0; Miss K. Williams beat. Mias J. McKain. 7- 6-3; Miss D. Smith beat Mias M. McNish, 6-1, 6-2; Miss H. Bruce beat Mita L. Ashby, 6-2. 4-6, 6-1. Second Round —Miss J. Davidson beat Miss Ciraythorne, 6-1, 6-3; Mrs Leopold beat Miss Andrew, 6-0. 6-1; Misa Williams beat MiK Smith. 6-3. 6-3: Mrs D. McKmnel beat Miss Bruce. 6-1, 6-2. Semi - finials.—Miss Williams beat Mra McKlnnel. 6-4. 6-2; Mrs Leopold beat Miss Davidson, 2-6, 6-4. 6-1. Men’s Doubles First Round.—G. Moss and W. Thom beet D. C. Gray and M. O’MaiMey, 6-1, 6-1; I. Stanton and W. Edgecumbe beat A. Brooks and J. Cullinrton, 6-2, 3-6. 12-10; L. Wetkins and R. G. Hastie beat R. McCutcheon and L. Sandford. 6-0. 6-2: J. Mahoney and P. Alexander beet J. Brebner and G. Ford. 6-3, 3-6. 6-1. Semi-final.—Mom and Thom beat Stanton and Edgecumbe. 6-2. 6-2. Women’! Doubles First Round.—Misoee J. Davidson and K. Williams beat Mtasos H. Bruce and P. Craythorne. 9- 7-5; Misses J. McKain and M. McNish beat Misses D. Hopping and D. Smith, 7-5. 6-2; Misses L. Ashby and D. Corich beat Misses J. Andrews and J. Hatch, 6-0. 6-3; Mesdamea P Leopold and D. McKlnnel beat Misses C. Andrew and S. McNeill, 6-2, 8-6. Semi-finals.—Misses Davidson and Williams beat Misses McKaan and McNish, 6-2. 6-4; Mesdames Leopold and McKinnel beat Misses Ashby and Corich, 6-1, 7-5.