Americans dominate

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32498, 7 January 1971, Page 18

Americans dominate

(N.Z. Press Association)

WELLINGTON.

An American “invasion” came through another rain - affected day at the Wellington tennis championships yesterday with, in most cases, colours flying. Although only about half-a-day’s play could be

squeezed in, the extra large American contingent provided nearly all the colour and action.

The first hint of an American take-over came when Mrs B. Wright handled the second women’s seed, Mrs J. Fraser (New Zealand) with comparative ease, winning 6-1, 6-4.

The unseeded Mrs Wright, who is playing the tournament circuit with her husband, had too much pace for Mrs Fraser, who only last week had won the North Island title.

A second upset followed, this time in the men’s singles when in a first-round match, the No. 2 foreign seed, L. Olander (Sweden), went down to J. Zweig, from Kentfield, California, 3-6, 6-2, 5-7.

L. Kuhle, another Californian, fresh from winning the Wanganui title over the week end, came from the brink of defeat to beat the North Shore junior, R. Simpson, 3-6, 7-6, 6-0.

Simpson was serving for the match at 6-5 in the second set, but Kuhle just managed to pull through. The redoubtable Aucklander, P. Becroft, was about the only one who managed to put the shackles on an American first-round clean sweep

when he won a tough threesetter against W. Wright, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6. As expected, the top women’s seed, Miss K. Harter, of California, was untroubled to beat Miss S. Caldwell (Manawatu), 6-0, 6-0.

The rain, which had prevented any play on the first two days, halted all games which were spread around numerous Wellington hardcourt clubs at 2.30 p.m. The top two men’s seeds, O. Parun and B. E. Fairiie, had easy opening wins.