Laver equals record

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33806, 1 April 1975, Page 24

Laver equals record

(N.Z Press Assn—Copy right) ORLANDO (Florida). Rod Laver equalled Stan Smith’s World Championship Tennis record of successive match victories by beating Vitas

Gerulaitis, 6-4, 6-4, to capture the SCS6O.OOO blue group tournament. Laver had qualified for the finals by beating Brian Gottfried in a semi-finals match delayed by rain. Laver was leading Gottfried, 4-6, 6-4, 5-4, with the tenth game of the third set at 15-all when rain halted the match. When play resumed it took the Australian just 14 minutes to polish off Gott-; fried in the final set, 7-5. Laver, who was Smith’s first victim when Smith scored 20 successive match victories in 1973, has now won four successive blue group events this year. The SUSI2,OOO first place money boosted his W.C.T. earnings for the season to $U574,000. The team of Gottfried and Raul Ramirez, of Mexico, won the doubles title by stopping Colin Dibley and Rav Ruffels, of Aus-! tralia. 6-4, 6-4. In Monte Carlo, Manuel; Orantes (Spain) won the men’s singles title at the! Monaco World Cham- j pionship Tennis tourna- : ment with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Bob Hewitt (South Africa). Hewitt later went on to win the men’s doubles title with his long-standing partner, Frew McMillan, of South Africa. They beat Arthur Ashe, of [ the United States, and ; Tom Okker (the Nether- , lands), 6-2. 6-3. . In Atlanta, top-seeded Mark i Cox (Britain) defeated John Alexander (Australia), 6-3. 7-6. to capture | the title in the World Championship Tennis SUS6O.OOO Atlanta Clas- ' sic.