Russian girl faces tremendous task

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33579, 6 July 1974, Page 42

Russian girl faces tremendous task

(H.Z.P A.-Reuter —Copyright) LONDON. The Russian. Mrs O. Morozova, and the Australian, K. R. Rosewall, today will attempt to break the United States’ hold on the 1974 Wimbledon tennis championships.

If they lose,. Americans will be ensured of both the singles titles, for Mrs Morozova plays the second-seeded Miss C. M. Evert in the women’s final and Rosewall is the only nonAmerican contesting the men’s semi-finals.

Mrs Morozova’s chances of beating Miss Evert are hard to assess. Before the tournament it seemed unlikely she would get further than the quarter-finals, but she did that by beating the titleholder, Mrs B. J. King, on Wednesday, and yesterday staged a brilliant rally to topple Miss V. Wade (Britain), 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, in the semi-finals. Miss Wade, who dropped

only 10 points as she swept through the first set in 17 minutes, but was then hustled out of its by Mrs Morozova, said later “Olga makes you work so hard. She is moving so much she makes you take your eye off the ball.”

This is what Miss Evert will have to contend with, and it will be interesting to see whether the eighthseeded Russian girl can fluster “the Florida ice dolly” as she did Mrs King and Miss Wade. Probably she will not be so successful, and the odds are that Miss Evert, aged 19, who won her semi-final, 6-2, 6-3, in 49 minutes against the Australian, Miss K. Melville, yesterday, will complete a triumphant European tour by taking the title. She has already won the Italian and French championships in the last five weeks. Crowd’s favourite The men’s semi-finals bring Rosewall, the ninth seed, and S. R. Smith, together, and the third-seeded J, Connors with R. L. Stockton. Smith knows what to expect m this match but it remains to be seen whether he can handle it. He knows, through no fault of his own, that he will be the villain and Rosewall the hero. The Wimbledon crowd is notoriously sentimental and from the moment the 39-year-old Rosewall comes on to court they will be trying to lift him. Also, Smith will have to combat the deft touches and superb placements that have kept Rosewall at the top of his profession for two decades. Use his head Power tennis on its own will not be enough to ruffle the little Australian, as R. Tanner and J. D. Newcombe discovered in the previous two rounds. Smith will have to use his head, as well as his considerable strength, to reach, his third Wimbledon final. If he succeeds, his

opponent will probably be Conners. That is not to underestimate the unseeded Stockton, who has already ejected, I. Nastase and A. Metreveli from the tournament with the ruthlessness of a nightclub bouncer.