Richey near tennis title

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32462, 24 November 1970, Page 16

Richey near tennis title

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter— Copyright) STOCKHOLM. C. Richey, a 23-year-old Texan, needs only two points from the Stockholm open tournament, to win the $22,287 first prize in the International Lawn Tennis Federation’s Grand Prix series. The Stockholm tournament, which began yesterday, is the last of the series. Australian Rod Laver, who beat Richey yesterday in the embassy tournament in London, is an absentee, and the only players competing here who can overtake the Texan are the American, Arthur Ashe and the Australian, Ken Rosewall. Ashe and Rosewall share topseeding at Stockholm, but both are seven points behind Richey’s score of 56 in the Grand Prix series. To defeat him in the series, one of them would have to win the Stockholm title, while Richey failed to reach the quarterfinals. , Richey has a Jough first match against Andres Glmemo of Spain. If he wins, only the young Jugoslav, Z. Franulovlc, will stand between him and a place in the quarter-finals. Results yesterday included: Men’s singles, first round: S. Smith (United States) beat T. Gorman (United States) 6-1, 6-2; I. Nastase (Rumania) beat P. Jemsby (Sweden) 6-2, 6-4; J. Leschley (Denmark) beat I. el Shafei (Egypt) 3-6, 11-9, 6-2; Z. Franulovlc (Jugoslavia) beat O. Davidson (Australia) 6-3, 7-5.