Late sport Americans just win Federation Cup

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 6

Late sport Americans just win Federation Cup

NZPA Melbourne : The United States women's tennis team won the sixteenth Federation Cup when it edged out Australia, 2-1, with a nail'biting win in the final match, I the doubles, last night ' Chris Even and Billie Jean (King sealed the cup for the United States when thev beat Wendy Turnbull and Kerry Reid 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, at Koovong. The United States equalled Australia’s tally of seven Federation Cup victories with its third successive win. The winners will split the sAust4o.ooo first-place moneywhile the Australian team divides up SAust2o,ooo. The United States made the vita) break in the deciding doubles rubber in the seventh game when Reid dropped serve and the Americans grabbed a 4-3 lead. The Americans held service through Chris Evert for a 5-3 lead while Australia managed to hold in the_ following game to trail, 4-5. i The American captain, ■ King, held service in the tense tenth game to give the Americans the final set, 6-4. Earlier Reid gave Australia a 1-0 lead with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over the 15-year-old American, Tracy Austin. The world No. 1 player. Chris Evert, evened the score when she bear the Australian : No. 1, Wendy Turnbull, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1 sending the tie into the deciding doubles clash. Australia won its wav into the final when the doubles pair Wendy Turnbull and Reid took just over an hour to defeat the Russians. Olga, Morozova and Natalia Chemyreva, 6-4. 6-2, in the deciding semi-final rubber yesterday morning. The rubber was deferred until then after the countries; shared the singles rubbers on; Saturday. The singles finished: too late for the doubles tostart. In Saturday’s singles the Soviet Union’s Olga zova capped a great come-i back by beating Wendy' Turn-; bull, 7-5. 1-6, 8-6.

•' Her win levelled the rub-1 ber after Kerry Reid had s beaten Natalia Chemyreva, 3 i 7-5. 6-4. ii Mrs Morozova has only • just returned to the inter- . national scene following an 18-month lay-off to have her ij first baby. 5! The United States had an 1 easy time in their semi-final ~clash, beating Great Britain, ■ i 3-0. i' The British showed little of; - the fight that had given them s a surprise Wightman Cup win over the Americans earlier -■this year. T Tracy Austin beat Michelle t Tyler, 6-1, 6-1, Chris Evert beat Virginia Wade 6-2. 6-4. :iand then the veterans. Billie ’ Jean King and Rosie Casals. Vbeat Sue Barker and Ann I: Hobbs. 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. sj Sweden regained some i compensation for its elimina-. - tion from the cup by winning r the final of the Colgate plate' J event yesterday. Spurred by the brilliance; of its No. 3 player, Mimmi; , Wikstedt, Sweden beat Israel. 5 3-0.

I A Wimbledon doubles quarl ter-finalist in 1977 Wikstedt , (24) got Sweden away to a fine start with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Hagit Zuban in the opening singles. Nina Bohm wrapped up the plate for Sweden when she beat Paulina Peled. 6-4, 6-4, in the second singles. Wikstedt and Elisabeth Ekblom then combined to complete the whitewash of Israel : with a 6-3, 4-6. 6-4 victory ; in the doubles over Peled and Zubari. Sweden beat New Zealand, 3-0. in the semi-finals on Saturday. The young New Zealander, Brenda Perry, went down in the opening singles to Wikstedt, 6-8. New Zealand's top placer, : Judy Chaloner, now based in London, was beaten by Nina Bohm, 8-4, to give Sweden ' victory. In the doubles Wikstedt and Elizabeth Ekblom combined tb defeat Chaloner and I Chris Newton. 8 6.