SMITH WINS FIFTH TITLE

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30337, 13 January 1964, Page 12

SMITH WINS FIFTH TITLE

Long Fight In Men’s Doubles (N.Z. Press Assn.— Copyright) BRISBANE. Jan. 12. The 1963 Wimbledon champion, Miss Margaret Smith, won her fifth consecutive Australian title by beating Miss Lesley Turner, 6-3. 6-2. yesterday. She broke Miss Turner’s service to love in the first game, then continued to force her into error after holding her own service in the first set. Miss Turner was down 1-4 in the second set and. after two later calls which seemed to unsettle her, she rallied to take the sixth game. But Miss Smith was too strong and won 6-2. Later, the defending Australian doubles titleholders, Bob Hewitt and Fred Stolle, staved off a last-minute rally by Ken Fletcher and Roy Emerson to retain their title. Hewitt and Stolle won 6-4. 7-5, 3-6, 4-6. 14-12. Fletcher started strongly to win his service to love in the first game of the first set. The game went with service until the ninth game, although Emerson had to battle to hold his service in the seventh game. He was forced to deuce on three occasions, but Emerson was the only player on the court who did not drop his service in the match.

Stolle and Hewitt scored the first break-through at 5-4 in the first set when Fletcher dropped his service with a double fault. Hewitt held his service and he and Stolle took the first set, 6-4, in 21 minutes. Five Deuces

Fletcher again dropped his service in the third game of the second set after five deuces.

With the games at 5-all in the second set, Fletcher again dropped his service to love to give Hewitt and Stolle their second breakthrough of the set.

Emerson and Fletcher rallied and took the next two sets. In the marathon fifth set, Emerson and Fletcher broke through Hewitt’s service in the first game, but Hewitt and Stolle broke back later in Fletcher’s service to level at three-all.

In the twenty-third game, Emerson was forced to deuce twice.

Down love-30 in the last game, Fletcher double-faulted and Hewitt and Stolle went on to take the set 14-12.