FIRST U.S. WIN SINCE 1955

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31781, 11 September 1968, Page 19

FIRST U.S. WIN SINCE 1955

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright) NEW YORK. The 25-year-old Army lieutenant, A. Ashe, yesterday became the first American to win a men’s singles title on the Forest Hills centre court since 1955 when he beat T. Okker (Netherlands), 14-12, 5-7, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, in the first United States open tennis championship.

The last American man to win a title on the centre court was A. Trabert in 1955. Ashe had become the first United States winner of the national amateur title in 13 years by winning at Brookline, Massachusetts, two weeks ago and the first Negro to take that crown. As a semi-finalist also in the first Wimbledon open earlier this year, Ashe must now be considered in the first three or four of the world’s amateurs and professionals. Okker, himself, is technically an amateur, a so-called "registered player," but he was permitted to collect the 512,500 first prize under the relaxed international rules.

Ashe, a “pure" amateur, played for $13.39 a day—the Davis Cup allowance. The United States does not permit its amateurs to accept prize money, as some other countries do.

The first set lasted 63 minutes, and ended when Ashe hit a low return at Okker's feet and drove the Dutchman’s weak recovery shot for a winner.

It was the fourth set point that Ashe had had in the set, the other three being saved by the young Dutchman with some magnificent scrambling. WINNING SERVICE In the long first set, Ashe served with such finality that he won seven of his service games to love and five with the loss of a single point.

It was not until the fifteenth game that Okker got as many as two points on Ashe’s de-

livery, and not until the twenty-third that he was able to take the American’s service to deuce. In the fourth set, however, Okker broke Ashe’s In the second game for a 2-0 lead. After losing his delivery, Ashe did not make a serious attempt to get even. He seemed to prefer to save himself for the fifth set. Among the prize winners, the New Zealand profesional and former amateur champion, L. A. Gerrard, won $437 in the singles and $579 in the doubles.