Davis Cup Retained By United States

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32099, 22 September 1969, Page 24

Davis Cup Retained By United States

(N.Z.P. A.-Reul er—Copyright) CLEVELAND. The United States foiled Rumania’s bid to become the first Communist nation to win the Davis Cup, after taking an unbeatable, 3-0, lead in the challenge round on Saturday.

Its doubles team, S. R. Smith and R. C. Lutz, beat I. Nastase and I. Tiriac, 8-6, 6-1,11-9.

America had won the opening two singles matches on Friday, A. R. Ashe beating Nastase, 6-2, 15-13, 7-5, and Smith defeating Tiriac, 6-8, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4. Ashe will meet Tiriac and Smith will play Nastase in the final two singles, but these cannot affect the outcome of the contest

The American doubles victory came in Ihr 46min. The 6ft 4in Smith and the sft Ilin Lutz, both 22-year-old Californians, trailed when Lutz lost his service in the

third game, but they immediately broke back. Games then went with the service until the fourteenth, when the Americans broke through Nastase’s and won the set, in 37 minutes, when Nastase’s backhand return hit the net.

In the second set, Smith and Lutz broke Tiriac’s service in the fourth grade and then Nastase’s in the sixth, for an easy 6-1 victory. The third, and final set, lasted 54 minutes, finally being won by the United States when Tiriac’s backhand cross-court volley went out of court. The Americans had broken through Nastase’s service in the nineteenth game, to go 10-9 ahead. SMITH 1-2 DOWN In Friday’s singles. Smith came from behind to defeat Tiriac. The Rumanian broke Smith's service in the first game of the first set and then took the next game at love to jump to a 2-0 lead. He broke Smith's service at love in the thirteenth game, before winning the first set when Smith’s volley was deep. Smith scored a love victory in the opening game of the second set, and finished with a service ace, to take it 6-3 and level the match. The colourful Tiriac broke 'the tall Californian’s service with a beautiful backhand passing shot to the corner and then held service to lead 4-1 in the third set. Smith rallied to 5-all, but lost the set when Tiriac broke through again in the twelfth.

Smith now began to find better control of his shots, broke the Rumanian's service in the first game of the

fourth set, and went on to level the scores again, at two each.

The fifth set was tied, 4-all, when Smith broke through Tiriac’s service as the latter netted a forehand volley. Smith then held service and took set and match with a forehand volley. LONG SECOND SET

The Ashe-Nastase match was highlighted by the 70minute second set, won by Ashe, 15-13. It equalled the second highest scoring singles in Davis Cup history, exceeded only by the 17-15 victory of M. McLoughlin (United States) over N. Brookes (Australia) in 1914. There were two other singles matches that went to 15-13 scores—one in 1934 and the other in 1937. The United States now has had 21 victories in the Davis Cup, only one less than Australia, from whom the Americans won it in Adelaide last year.