Notable Parun win

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33124, 15 January 1973, Page 18

Notable Parun win

(N.Z. Press Association)

AUCKLAND.

O. Parun scored one of the best victories in New Zealand tennis when he beat the Frenchman, P. Proisy, for the men’s singles title in the Benson and Hedges New Zealand open championships at Stanley Street yesterday.

Parun lost the first two sets, but won the next two convincingly, then clinched the match by taking the tiebreaker in the fifth set, 7-3. The score was 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-0, 7-6.

Parun might easily have taken control earlier. In each of the first two sets he broke Proisy’s first serve, but in trying to protect his lead he tightened his play a little, hit his shots with less freedom, and let Proisy, as usual a brilliant returner of service, break back. HARD PRELUDE

On Saturday, Proisy battled through a four-set semi-final against A. Stone (Australia), while Parun was having a surprisingly easy time against P. Dominguez in th* other.

Proisy was then involved with Dominguez in a threehour doubles semi-final against the Australians, R. Carmichael and R. Crealy. No after effects were apparent in the first two sets yesterday. They were finely balanced, Parun gaining a quick service break, then allowing Proisy to break back.

However, in the third and fourth sets Proisy did not have the energy or the concentration to dominate the game. He made a desperately tense battle of the fifth but by then the initiative was Parun’s. FINE WIN Parun deserved the win: he served the more consistently and powerfully, although Proisy was the only one to hit a clean ace. Parun returned service vigorously enough to get breaks early in every set, his presence at the net was the more commanding, and he out-lobbed the master lobber. Parun was presented with a cheque for $3OO0 —some $2980 more than J. Robson received for his win in 1959.

In the singles final against Miss M. Pryde, the former Wimbledon champion, Miss E. Goolagong, gave a demonstration of the gulf between her tennis and that of

the rest of the field. Miss Pryde made many unforced errors and only for a couple of games did she threaten to put some pressure on Miss Goolagong.

There was real bite in Miss Goolagong’s ground strokes and in her overhead play. Miss Pryde’s game soon began to crumble and Miss Goolagong was able to Win, 6-0, 6-1, in 35 minutes. MEN’S SINGLES Semi-finals.—O. Parun (New Zealand) beat P. Dominguez (France), 6-4, 6-2, 6-3; P. Proisy (France) beat A. Stone (Australia), 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 6-1. Final.—Parun beat Proisy, 4-6, 6-7. 6-2, 6-0, 7-6. WOMEN'S SINGLES Semi-finals.—M. Pryde (New Zealand) beat J. Young (Australia), 6-4. 6-4; E. Goolagong (Australia) beat K. Sawamatsu (Japan), 6-3, 6-1. Final.—Goolagong beat Pryde, 6- 6-1. MEN'S DOUBLES Semi-finals.—B. Fairlie (New Zealand) and A. Stone beat K. Meiler and H. Plotz (West Germany) 7-6. 6-4, 4-6, 6-1; R. Carmichael and R. Crealy (Australia) beat Proisy and Dominguez, 7-5, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4. 6-4. Final.—Fairlie and Stone beat Carmichael and Crealy, 7-6, 4-6, 7- 6-2. WOMEN'S DOUBLES Final. —Goolagong and Young beat P. Coleman and M. Tesch (Australia). 6-1, 6-3. MIXED DOUBLES Final.—-R. Case (Australia) and Goolagong beat Crealy and Young, 6-1, 6-3.