TENNIS PRAISE FOR CROOKENDEN

Press, Volume C, Issue 29672, 16 November 1961, Page 5

TENNIS PRAISE FOR CROOKENDEN

Laver Wins In Hard Match

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) SYDNEY. Nov. 15. The Australian Davis Cup ulayer and Wimbledon champion. R. Laver, today described the New Zealander, I. S. Crookenden. as “an excellent prospect.” Laver made this comment after he had beaten Crookenden. 6-4. 6-4, in a hardfought. third-round match in the New South Wales men's singles championship. Crookenden is in Australia for experience and today's display showed that he has already benefited. He is one of several overseas players competing in the Australian circuit which is regarded as an excellent training ground as there are no easy matches. The Jugoslav. B. Jovanovic, played impressive tennis to enter the quarter-finals. In his third-round match he beat the Australian univers-

ity champion, M. Callaghan. Jovanovic will now meet the United States and Australian champion, R. Emerson. In spite of protests from the players, the acting tournament referee. Mr J. Chalmers. would not allow play to stop until rain, heavy at times, had been falling for more than half an hour. The worst affected by his decision was the Mexican player. Miss Y. Ramires. She had won the first set. 6-3, and was leading. 4-1, in the second against the Queensland player. Miss R. Ebbern. when rain started. She had lost -the set. 5-7, when play was called off for the day. Miss Ramirez was most upset as she left the court and she told a senior member of the tournament committee: “I wanted it to stop when I led, 4-1. but they would not let me.” Mr Chalmers said later he did not want to stop the matches earlier because of this season's experiment on the Australian circuit to complete the tournaments in one week. He said this did not allow for any loss of time.