FINAL OF TENNIS

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33084, 27 November 1972, Page 28

FINAL OF TENNIS

Lutz, Ashe qualify (N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) ROME. R. Lutz (United States), who upset the favoured J. D. Newcombe (Australia) in the opening round, advanced to the final of the $50,000 World Championship Tennis playoff series on Saturday. He defeated C. Drysdale (South Africa), 6-4, 6-4. Lutz will meet his countryman, A. R. Ashe, in the final. Ashe beat T. Okker (Netherlands), 6-7, 6-3, 6-3, in the other semi-final. Lutz, combining power with finesse, survived a first set in which the initiative changed several times. He then charged to a 5-1 second set lead over the tiring 31-year-old South African, but lost his serve in a long eighth game after having one match point. After that he had to struggle for victory. An enthusiastic crowd of 9000—the largest at tennis in Italy—watched the 75-minute match at the Palazzo Dello Sport. The previous Italian attendance record of 6200 was set at the Foro Italico during the 1962 Davis Cup inter-zone final between the United States and Italy.

Cricket.—The Hawke Cup holder, Taranaki, had a satisfactory warm up when it drew with Manawatu in a two-day representative cricket match in Palmerston North during the week-end. Taranaki scored 314/8 (T. Dravitski 116) and Manawatu 253/9 (G. Duncan 67, T. Selwood 43).