TENNIS MASTER
(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) NEW YORK. The red-haired Australian, R. Laver, stands supreme in the tennis world today. He completed perhaps the most spectacular “slam” in tennis history when he defeated T. Okker (Netherlands), 7-5, 6-2, 6-1, at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, to give him 13 victories in 13 matches in the Tennis Champions’ Classic. Competing against the greatest players in the world, Laver won 11 successive $lO,OOO winner-take-all matches, took a twelfth match for $15,000,
and beat Okker in the thirteenth for a prize of $35,090. They gave him total earnings of $160,000 for 13 matches unbeaten. Laver, who has twice won the classic “grand slam” of tennis—the United States, French, Wimbledon and Australian championships all in the same year—was never in serious trouble against Okker, although the Dutch professional took the first set to sudden death. Laver simply had too much power and all-round court skills for Okker to cope with.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 26
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156TENNIS MASTER Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32561, 22 March 1971, Page 26
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