N.Z. women win tennis
NZPA staff correspondent Eastbourne
The New Zealand women’s tennis team won its first ever Federation Cup international tie when it sensationally beat Belgium, 2-1 yesterday. The team will play the winner of the South AfricaJapan clash, and South Africa looks likely to come through that encounter. The match will be played only a few days after the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) met with Commonwealth leaders, denounced South Africa’s apartheid policy and confirmed that the Government would encourage sports bodies not to meet the republic.
New Zealand went into yesterday's match with only a 50-50 chance of winning and the tie was not decided until a remarkable doubles match in which Christine Newton (Christchurch) and Pauline Elliott (Waikato) had come back from a second set deficit.
Earlier Miss Elliott had surprised spectators by picking up the form that has deserted her in England this year by beating the Belgian No. 2, Monique van Haver, 7-5, 6-4. But her improved performance was dimmed when the New Zealand No.l, Judy Connor, unexpectedly went down to Michele Gurdal 4-6, 6-2, 8-6. The deciding doubles match was played at a I furious pace, with the young New’ Zealand girls keeping up the pressure from the start. Miss Newton played some tremendous shots, especially overhead and at net, w'hiie Miss Elliott fired some fine forehand returns of serve. The New' Zealand manager, Marilyn Law’rence, elated at this rare success, said the two girls had been “psyched up” before the match and were determined to win. “I told them to sit on the line. Pauline set it all up and Chris hit them away,” she said. They won, 6-4 7-5.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19770615.2.182
Bibliographic details
Press, 15 June 1977, Page 38
Word Count
277N.Z. women win tennis Press, 15 June 1977, Page 38
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.