Doubles Loss Ends Davis Cup Hopes

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31985, 12 May 1969, Page 26

Doubles Loss Ends Davis Cup Hopes

(N.I'.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

LONDON.

New Zealand is out of the Davis Gup. The end of the team’s chances came when B. Fairlie and O. Parun lost their doubles match against West Germany at Cologne on Saturday, 2-6, 3-6, 4-6.

They went into the game 0-2 down after losing their singles matches yesterday. Fairlie, New Zealand’s No. 1, lost to C. Kuhnke, 3-6, 1-6, 4-6, and Parun was beaten by W. Bungert, 6-4, 9-7, 6-0.

In the doubles the New Zealanders played Kuhnke and I. Buding. The match was delayed half-way through for 50 minutes because of rain.

The team manager, Mr S. Painter, said last night: “We never looked like winning. “The boys were down two sets to love and playing very, very poorly against not a good pair,” he said. “They then came back at the third set and led 3-1 after breaking the Germans’ serve.

“It looked as though we would be away—and then the rain came down for 50 minutes. The Germans just put the ball back and our boys made the mistakes.

“Just Adequate”

“The West Germans were just being adequate. Our fellows would not hit the ball right and were making fundamental errors.”

He added the New Zealanders were put off balance by the clay courts while the West Germans were more used to handling them. Both Fairlie’s and Parun’s victories against world ranking players had been on grass courts, he said. Fairlie and Parun were to play the remaining singles matches against Bungert and Kuhnke yesterday (German time). They will arrive in London today to play at Hurlingham and the other members of the squad, J. Simpson and R. N. Hawkes will play in exhibition matches in Germany before going on to a tournament in Berlin. Fairlie and Parun started

nervously in the doubles match. They dropped their service several times in the first set and reacted sluggishly to some fine precision shots by Buding and Kuhnke. Apart from a few sizzling volleys by the New Zealanders they continually misjudged their opponents’ hard, low, centre-line shots and lobs to the back of the court. Fairlie and Parun—who have both beaten world ranking Americans and Australians this year—broke back into form early in the second set. But, unnerved by a series of high lobs by the West German pair, Parun dropped his service at 3-3. It gave Buding and Kuhnke a 4-3 lead and a chance to surge ahead, winning the second set, 6-3. Play Delayed In the third set the New landers took a 3-1 lead but rain then stopped play for 50

minutes and when play resumed Fairlie and Parun were unable to reproduce this good form.

Five other countries apart from West Germany reached the second round of the European zone of the Davis Cup after getting 3-0 leads at the week-end.

In Helsinki, Sweden won its doubles clash to head Finland 3-0 and earn a second round meeting with West Germany.

Ireland headed Luxembourg in Cork and will now meet the winner of the Switzerland-Britain tie, in which Britain leads 2-0.

In Lisbon, Israel toppled Portugal and are likely to meet Rumania, which leads the United Arab Republic 2-1 in Bucharest. In Athens, the Soviet Union overpowered Greece, but will have to wait before knowing its next opponent—Canada and the Netherlands still being locked at 1-1 at The Hague after heavy rain stopped play with only one set of the doubles completed.

Austria reached the second round by dismissing Norway in Oslo and will probably meet Italy, which leads Belgium, 2-1, after losing the doubles match.