ITALIAN TENNIS

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31680, 16 May 1968, Page 15

ITALIAN TENNIS

Last Eight Decided (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) ROME. Four seeds. Including the Dutchman, T. Okker and R. Hewitt (South Africa), won yesterday to fill remaining gaps in the quarter-finals of the men’s singles at the Italian tennis championships. The fourth-seeded Okker, whose devastating but precise attack has made him one of the favourites to win the men’s title, beat I. Nastase (Rumania), 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3. However, the third-seeded Hewitt was taken the distance by J. Kodes (Czechoslovakia), seeded fourteenth, winning 3-6, 6-1, 8-6, 2-6, 6-2, after he snapped out of his sluggish state in the first set. The other seeds to win were I. Tirlac (Rumania), who beat R. Ruffels (Australia), 6-t, 6-3, 6-4, and N. Pietrangeli (Italy), who overwhelmed his countryman, E. Castigliano, 6-1. 6-4, 6-3. The other four players already in the quarter-finals are last year's winner, M. Mulligan (Italy), A. Metreveli (Russia), and two unseeded players, J. Gisbert (Spain) and B. Phillips-Moore (Australia). Mulligan, 27, who demonstrated his power-packed form and finesse yesterday by beating Jugoslav B. Jovanovic, 6-4, 1-6, 6-1, 6-3, is trying to win the Italian title for the fourth time, to break the record of three wins set by Jaroslav Drobny in the 19505. The quarter-finals are: Mulligan v. Phillips-Moore, Okker v. Gisbert, Pietrangeli v. Hewitt, Tiriac v. Metreveli.