Problems met by first classic avoided

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33670, 21 October 1974, Page 8

Problems met by first classic avoided

The unhappy’ experiences of last year's Benson and Hedges Tennis Classic will fade from the memory when the new, improved professional tournament bursts into life at Cowles Stadium today.

Players of high quality battling for the top prizes on a fine new court should attract a strong public following and ensure that this year’s classic winds up as a resounding success.

The two principal stumbling blocks of last year have been avoided. By taking the tournament indoors, the Canterbury Lawn Tennis Association has beaten the bad weather bogey which plagued the 1973 events. And the earlier placing of the classic in the Asian circuit has led to the assembling of a more talented field. The $U525,000 Benson and Hedges tournament will begin today and end next Sunday, with two sessions of play, starting in the late morning and early evening, each day. It is an all-male tournament, with competition in two events, the Ballins Industries singles and “The Press” doubles. The singles champion will receive SUSSOOO and the doubles winners SUSI2OO each. The classic is part of the $U53,385,000 Commercial Union Grand Prix, a series which is made up up of 51 tournaments. The circuit began with the Australian championships, and it has included

all the major events, including the French, United States, Italian and Wimbledon titles, the European circuit, other top American tournaments and the Asian circuit. This started in Tokyo earlier this month, and the Australian indoor championships, which have just ended in Sydney, were second on the list. Another $U525,000 tournament is being held in Melbourne this week, and succeeding events will be conducted in Djakarta, Hong Kong and Manila. Performance points are awarded to competitors at each tournament, and these points are eagerly sought

because the eight players with the best aggregates qualify for the Commercial Union Masters’ championship. This year the big event will be held in Melbourne, in December, and the winner will receive $U533,000. At one stage last month it appeared as if the classic would not be held. But an assurance that a number of top players would appear at Cowles Stadium was received by the association and, subsequently, the major sponsors agreed to increase their contributions to offset the increase in expenses, caused by the

devaluation of the New Zealand dollar. It will cost the association 5NZ26.000 to hold the tournament, and, according to the chairman of the association’s management committee (Mr R. B. Brown), gate takings of SNZIO.OOO will be needed to make the classic a viable proposition.

The classic will be the fifth tournament with an international field to be held in Christchurch in the space of four years. With the intimate atmosphere provided by an indoor venue, it might well be the most successful.