Rain Disrupts Tennis Titles

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30168, 27 June 1963, Page 5

Rain Disrupts Tennis Titles

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, June 2(5. A forecast of more rain again today will further disrupt the Wimbledon lawn tennis championships for the third successive day. The forecast predicts a clear morning but clouding over rapidly by noon, with heavy afternoon showers.

Rain delayed the start yesterday and the Centre Court programme was 30 minutes late in opening, while some outside courts were still not under way an hour and a half after the expected start.

Late in the evening rain again halted play for another 3b minutes and the final match —a five-set marathon doubles between W. J. Jacques (Australia) and I. S. Crookenden (New Zealand) and the American pair, D. Ralston and C. McKinley, finished almost in darkness.

The backlog of games from Monday completely disrupted traditional “Ladies Day” yesterday and the men’s postponed matches dominated the courts for the early hours of the afternoon. The second seed, M. Santana, of Spain, Europe's leading player, opened the Centre Court programme with a fine display of touch tennis. He beat an 18-year-old Australian, A. Roche, 6-4, 6-4. 6-1. The fourth seed, C. McKinley, who heads a numerically strong American challenge in the men’s event, had a workmanlike opening

win over C. Drysdale (South Africa), 6-3, 6-3, 8-6. Miss M. Smith, the Australian favourite for the women’s title, who crashed in hei first match at Wimbledon a year ago, made no mistakes yesterday.

In spite of a gusty wind, which made ball control tricky, she swept aside Mrs Louise Brown, Canada’s No. 2 6-1, 6-1. Miss R. Schuurman (South Africa) had trouble controlling her strokes in the wind, but beat British Wightman Cup international, Miss D. Catt, 4-6. 6-4, 6-4. Miss C. Ttuman, a great Wimbledon favourite, beat Mrs Y. (Ramirez) Ochoa, 6-2, 6-0, to avenge the defeat ait Wimbledon four years ago by the little Mexican.

Crookenden and Jacques put up a great performance against Ralston and McKinley, taking the seeded American pair to a deciding set. Ralston and McKinley won 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6. 6-3.