POWER GAME

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32525, 8 February 1971, Page 24

POWER GAME

The 26-year-old New South Welshman, C. Dibley, was named only second in the Australian Davis Cup team last week, to his opponent in the men’s final yesterday, R. Giltinan, aged 21, also of New South Wales. But yesterday’s was Dibtey’s third success this season against Giltinan, and at present he looks the better player. Ranked eleventh in Australia last year to Giltinan’s ninth, he will certainly be much higher now with the cream skimmed off the top by the professionals. BETTER RETURNS In another battle of the big serves on Saturday, Dibley disposed of the huge Czech, V. Zednlk, 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, because he was so much the better returner of service that he could break when the Czech could not. Similarly, Giltinan took four sets to beat the Frenchman, J. L. Rouyer, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, and this looked what it was—a grass-court player playing a hard-court player. So yesterday, Dibley and his compatriot had the opportunity to pound serves at one another and from this exercise Dibley emerged the better.

They both served far more than the usual number of aces—Dibley more thafi Giltinan—and strangely they came in bursts.

For example, Giltinan served a sizzling batch of three in succession to win his only game of the first set —an obvious tactical move to get the service at the beginning of the second— Dibley served two in the next game. Dibley later served another group of three to be 3-1 in the third set. LACK OF RALLIES But impressive though it was, the spectators were yearning for a rally occasionally and were very quick to applaud when they got some delicate little drop shots or lobs. Gradually they appeared to tire of applauding aces. Dibley sent his express deliveries down with a flowing swing; Giltinan played his with a short backswing and he did not throw the ball as high. And if Dibley had the better of this duel, he also had the better if a rally developed. WOMEN PLEASE

Any disappointment that may have been felt in the men’s singles was dispelled by one of the finest matches ever seen at Wilding Park. During the women’s doubles final, the crowd’s applause rose to a roar time and again as the dazzling brilliance of the returning was recognised.

After it was over, superlatives were being used round the ground and even the participants themselves admitted that they played some of their best doubles tennis. In the end, Miss Harter and the title Briton, Miss W. Shaw, were compensated for their earlier departures from the singles when they beat Miss Goolagong and Mrs Chanfreau, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6.

Every one of them played some well-nigh impossible shots but Miss Goolagong got less of the ball because of the policy of the others to play to Mrs Chanfreau. This must have affected Miss Goolagong’s standard because she was not nearly as sharp as she was in singles, but Mrs Chanfreau stood up to the onslaught magnificently.

In spite of her size, she played the forehand with increasing pace and she bludgeoned it with an accompanying gasp.

As the crowd cheered every point in the tense third set, Miss Harter dropped her serve to be down 3-5. But Miss Goolagong dropped her’s and Miss Shaw held after some clever volleying. Mrs Chanfreau dropped but Miss Harter also did again, and they were into the tiebreaker, won 5-3 by Misses Shaw and Harter. FITTING FINALE For Miss Harter, it must have been a grand end to hei tour of the New Zealand circuit on which she has shown what takes a player to the semi-finals at Wimbledon as she did in 1967. She had a most competent partner in Miss Shaw, who served with power for one so small, also returned service soundly, and found the gaps. Nor did Mrs Chanfreau go away empty handed because she and Rouyer won the mixed doubles late on Saturday evening when they beat Giltinan and Miss Goolagong, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. Mrs Chanfreau then was a prime instrument of victory. When the two towering Czechs, Zednik and Holecek, took the men’s doubles, it meant that the titles at these New Zealand championships were distributed among five nations—Australia, Czechoslovakia, United States, Britain and France.