U.S. retains Davis Cup for 5th year

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33049, 17 October 1972, Page 30

U.S. retains Davis Cup for 5th year

(N.Z.P.A -Reuler—Copyright!

BUCHAREST.

The United States won the Davis Cup tennis trophy for the fifth consecutive year by beating Rumania, 3-2, in one of the most turbulent finals in the history of the tournament.

It was a final marred by angry crowd scenes, bitter inter-team disputes, and bad line-calls.

The Wimbledon champion. S. R. Smith, swung the tournament in favour of the United States—the underdog at the outset of the final.

Smith raced to a three-set t victory against the Rumanian 1 idol, I. Nastase, in the open- < ing game; played a vital role in the crucial doubles win. i and finally wrapped up the it tournaments for his country d by beating I. Tiriac in a five-it set clash. ; i It was an angry Smith who [ won a cliff-hanging singles i against Tiriac on Bucharest's 1 Progressful courts. , < The normally composedl * Smith won 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 2-6,1* 6-0, but came near to losing:’ control in the crucial fourth’ set after swiping at a ball * which had bounced twice on his side of the net, unleash- ' ing another episode of boo- * ing, hooting and whistling * from the Rumanian crowd. Six thousand noisy and ex- j citable Rumanians roared for Tiriac, and there were fre- ' quent disputes over line-calls. ’ SMITH HIT Tiriac, aged 33, rose to the , occasion and played superb , clay court tennis. When .heh levelled at two sets all, with • the crowd standing and! cheering almost every point , he won, it seemed he might!] pull off an upset and level] the tie. But Smith, who earlier in'] the match protested after be- , ing hit by a Tiriac volley.!, held his temper and increased!. his concentration, racing I j through the final set 6-0. , Tiriac won only eight points. I The match lasted 3hr 20min. ,

Several disputed line-calls had the crowd in uproar. One of them came in the third [ game of the second set. Smith! protested to the Argentinian referee, Mr E. Morea, who ordered the point to be replayed. Smith won it with a service ace and went on to take the game. The Rumanian linesman involved in the dispute was changed two games later.

after vet another dubious line-call against the Americans. ANGRY “I was never so angry in my life," Smith said after the match. “I respect Tiriac as !a competitor, but not as a i person. “I don’t know why Smith is so angry,” Tiriac told a press conference. “I didn't even complain when he tried Ito hit me with a ball, and I the referee didn’t even intervene.” ! Tiriac also spoke of what he termed psychological warfare waged by the Americans which he said started weeks ago when they tried to insist on neutral linesmen. Tiriac also complained about the way Mr Morea had handled his game with T. Gorman, which the Rumanian won in five sets to level with the United States. He said the referee had reversed a line decision in this match although he could not .possibly have seen exactly jwhat had happened from ’where he was sitting. “From that moment on I believed Ihe would change anything.” MORE POLITE I Nastase showed his old brilliance in beating Gorman, [6-1, 6-2, 5-7, 10-8, in the last I match of the tournament, but it was an oddly polite crowd [that clapped his winning shots. “Quit being a star,” 'shouted one Rumanian spec-

dtator, “just be a man.” . The game lacked al! the I [tension which in many ways il made this a great tie, and for i[the first two sets the Ru- > manian Army lieutenant dis- • played a nonchalant approach ito tennis but still crushed > Gorman. This approach allowed Gori man to strike back hard to i take the third set and just , miss winning the fourth.