McCutcheon’s Win Biggest Upset In Tennis Titles

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31304, 25 February 1967, Page 15

McCutcheon’s Win Biggest Upset In Tennis Titles

In a long, even match, the unseeded R. McCutcheon (Canterbury) eliminated the sixth seed and a member of this year’s Davis Cup team, H. Broun (Auckland), 5-7, 64, 9-7, in the biggest upset on the first day of the Canterbury tennis championships at Wilding Park yesterday.

Two other seeded players beaten were J. Borren (Hutt Valley), seventh in the men’s singles, and Mrs J. Hanna (Nelson), second in the women’s event.

Borren was beaten by B. Crofts (Canterbury) and Mrs Hanna by Miss J. Bishop (Canterbury), the former under - 17 national champion.

The first set of the Mc-Cutcheon-Broun match was one of countless errors and lost opportunities, and many broken services. Breaks came in the third and fourth games, from the seventeenth to the tenth inclusive, and once more in the twelfth, which Broun won to take the set 7-5.

Broun lost the fifth game on his service in the second set, to be down 2-3, and McCutcheon went further ahead to 5-2. Determined play by Broun brought the score to 5-4, but McCutcheon had little difficulty winning his serve in the tenth game, to even the sets at one-all. The same theme continued in the third set. When the score reached 7-6 in Broun’s favour both players had dropped their service more times that they would wish to remember.

But Broun could not shake off the disease with victory in his grasp. H elost a match point, dropped his service, and McCutcheon went on to win the set, 9-7.

Broun looked unsure of himself and deserved to lose, but McCutcheon always had difficulty keeping pressure on the Aucklander. He had opportunities early in the last set to win but could not round them off. McCutcheon’s serve often looked dangerous

but inconsistency cost him dearly. The quarterfinals of the men’s singles will be played today. In the top half of the draw, 0. Parun (Wellington) first seed, plays J. W. Mitchell (Canterbury), fifth, and W. Thom (Canterbury), eighth, plays D. Hawkes (Wellington), fourth. In the bottom half, J. H. Lockington (Auckland) third, meets the unseeded P. Boatwood (Canterbury), and McCutcheon plays the second seed, R. N. Hawkes (Wellington). Crofts beat Borren, 6-4, 8-6, in the second round, to enhance his reputation as a “giant-killer.” But he could not continue the good work, and was beaten by Boatwood, 6-3, 6-3. Crofts could not handle Boatwood’s consistent service.

Borren, the son of a former Dutch Davis Cup player, is noted as a doubles player, but yesterday he showed weaknesses in singles. In the first set he served a number of double faults when Croft’s ground strokes were at their best. Crofts led, 5-2, in the sec-

ond set, but Borren, getting down to his volleys admirably, caught up to 5-5 before Crofts, as determined as ever, won the set, 8-6. Miss Bishop caused a major upset in the second round of the women’s singles when she defeated Mrs Hanna, 6-3, 6-3. The unseeded Miss Bishop upset Mrs Hanna with her powerful first service and volleying. Mrs Hanna was generally too slow about the court and her service was often weak.

nals. He struck two great fighters in I. Stanton and W. Edgecumbe, both of Canterbury. Both matches went to three sets, and on each occasion Hawkes was forced to adopt defensive tactics against steady retrieving. Parun had little difficulty getting through to the quar-ter-finals, as did R. N. Hawkes and Lockington. J. Mitchell had to work hard to beat S. Molnar (Canterbury), 6-3, 7-5, mainly because he is playing very loosely at present. The semi-finalist should be Parun, Lockington, R. N. Hawkes and D. Hawkes. The championships are sponsored by Suckling Bros.

Mrs Hanna fought hard in the second set, getting to 4-4, but could not sustain the pressure on her youthful opponent. D. Hawkes had to fight hard to win his way to the quarter-