Late sport Australia just wins cup tie

Press, 12 February 1979, Page 6

Late sport Australia just wins cup tie

XZPA-Reuter Madras. India ji John Alexander came from be < hind io beat Sashi Menon (India. < i a tense hve-setter to give Ausraiia their Davis Cup tie earlx t this morning -NZ. timet. t Alexander s win. by three sets to two after being down, l-2.it gave Australia a last-gasp 3-2 i win in the tie. Alexander took the tie in the . fifth set of the final match when t | he clinched the fourth set in 40-t i minutes, breaking Menon’s set-. I vice three times. A India drew level with Aus- i ra! : a 2-2 in their eastern zone t Davis Cup semi-final at Madras.. India, yesterday, when Vijay Am- i ritraj downed Ross Case, 7-5, 6-Lt . 5 in tlie first of the reverse il singles. John Alexander, of Australia, s meets Sashi Menon in the sec- t ond match. Vijay, the Indian No. 1, proved s 100 strong for the 27-year-old Case, who put up a gallant fight 1 in the first and third sets of a 1 match lasting 2hr and lOmin. i Coming behind his powerful < service. Amritraj controlled the s

game from the net and had Case ‘ running from side to side of the court to scramble back his acIcurate volleys. Australia won both sing.es on the opening da> and India won the doubles on Saturday. Case pla.'ed tine tennis to take a 4-1 lead in tire first set. breakling Aniritrajj’s service twice. But the experienced Indian (fought back tenaciously and jbroke through Case three times ‘for the set. I Case’s service is one of the ; weakest points of his game and it let him down badly several jtimes yesterday. , He was forced to cover a lot more ground than Amritra ij :i j I the effort told on a very hot, i humid day. He looked very tired in the second set but recovered well in the third, breaking back after Amritraj took his service in the seventh game to level at 4-4, Case had a set point when Vijay trailed 30-40 at 4-5 but the Indian held service and then got the final break when Case double-faulted twice on his next service.