International N.Z. tennis titles

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33740, 13 January 1975, Page 20

International N.Z. tennis titles

(By.

A. M. MENZIES)

Wilding Park will have a cosmopolitan air again this week for the seven days of the BP New Zealand

tennis championships. Of the 73 entrants in the men’s singles, 30 are from overseas, and 12 of the 38 in the women’s field are not New Zealanders.

Altogether 11 countries will be represented — the United States, Australia, Finland, Canada, Austria, Sweden, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Portugal and New Zealand — in the entry of 111 players, probably the most a national

championship tournament has had. The news yesterday that the second seed, Cliff Letcher (Australia), would not be coming was greeted with

some disappointment, and another Australian, S. Docherty, has been given Letcher’s place at the bottom of the second half of the draw, although he has not been seeded.

Russell Simpson (North Shore), who heads the New Zealand seedings, now has his prospects enhanced in that quarter. Mike Machette, the American who gave Onny Parun one of his stiffest tests on his way to winning the Ben-

son and Hedges open in Auckland on Saturday, heads the top half of the draw as the first-seeded overseas player. If Machette retains the form he showed in Auckland he should not have a great deal of trouble until he meets- a compatriot, Steve Carnahan, winner of the Canterbury championship a few weeks ago. Carnahan, as third overseas seed, is at the bottom of the top half of the draw. However, Carnahan will have to get past the 17-year-old Aucklander, Chris Lewis, who won the Wellington title, and who is the second New Zealand seed.

The Finn, M. Timonen, who is fourth overseas seed, heads the bottom half of the men’s draw.

The women’s singles has a foregone conclusion — that Miss Evonne Goolagong (Australia), who won the Benson and Hedges in Auckland yesterday, for the third time in succession, will also win her third New Zealand title. Her previous successes were both at Wilding Park, in 1971 and 1973. Miss Goolagong, as top seed, is at the top of the first half of the draw, and if play goes according to the seedings she should meet Miss Cecilia Martinez I

(United States), in a semifinal.

The other semi-finalists are seeded to be Miss Laura Du Pont (United States), and Miss Wendy Turnbull (Australia). The top New Zealander, Miss J. Connor (Auckland) is in Miss Turnbull’s quarter, and the second New Zealander, Miss Pauline Elliott (Waikato), should meet Miss Martinez.

Both the men’s and women’s draws have small first rounds and the organisers hope to complete both first and second rounds of singles, and one round of doubles, by this evening. (Draw, page 14)