Mark Lewis ranked No. 4

Press, 3 April 1980, Page 28

Mark Lewis ranked No. 4

PA Wellington Auckland junior Mark Lewis’s meteoric rise in New Zealand tennis is reflected in the national senior rankings, which were released yesterday. Lewis has been ranked No. 4, behind the established professionals and Davis Cup players Chris Lewis, Russell Simpson, and Onny Parun in the list prepared by the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association.

Lewis, aged 18, became the> ■ youngest player to win the national men’s singles title when he beat Parun early in February. His results in that tournament — he beat Simpson — and his general top form in grasscourt tournaments eventually' won him a place in the New Zealand Davis Cup team which met Australia at Brisbane last month. Lewis left Auckland a fortnight ago for the United States and training at the Florida camp his older brother, Chris, has made his overseas base for the last four years. In last year’s ranking list Lewis was placed only No. 18, and the year before that No. 21.

Stephen H.arley, who won Davis Cup selection for the tie against. South Korea,- is rewarded for. his consistency by holding down No. 6 position.

The rankings for the first three places in both the men’s and women’s lists are the same as that done, by the computers that weekly churn out the world rankings, so there can be no quibbling with these selections. However, some could argue that the two top players, Judy Chaloner and Chris Lewis, hardly played at all last summer and don’t have the performances to justify a ranking. The women’s list is fairly predictable, with improvement by Sheryl Tebbutt and good rankings to the juniors, Linda Stewart and Janine Perkinson. The rankings are:—

Men:— Chris Lewis (Auckland) 1; Russell Simpson' (North Shore) 2; Onny Parun (Wellington) 3; Mark Lewis (Auckland) 4; Bruce Berlin (Auckland) 5; Stephen Harley (Canterbury) 6; Brett Hibbert (Canterbury) 7; David Mustard (Auckland) 8; Peter Hampton (Canterbury) 9; Paul Smith (Wellington) 10; Peter Langsford (Auckland) 11; Carey Brading (Canterbury) 12; Stephen Temple (Wellington) 13; Kelly Evernden (Poverty Bay) 14; James Dunphy (Hutt Valley) 15; Sam Dean (Auckland) 16: Graeme Liddell (South Canterbury) 18; Simon Norman (Wellington) 19; Glen Ryder (Auckland) 20.

Not ranked (insufficient performances): Richard Healey (Auckland). Joe Harvey (Auckland), Jeff Simpson' (North Shore),

No No. 17 ranking available. Women: Judy Chaloner (Auckland) 1; Brenda Perry (Auckland) 2; Christine Newton (Canterbury) 3; Pauline Elliott (Waikato) 4; Robyn Hunt (Canterbury) 5; Sally Chapman (Canterbury) 6; Sheryl Tebbutt (Waikato) 7; Arleen Rolleston (Western Bay of Plenty) 8; Linda Stewart (Auckland) 9; Janine Perkinson (Auckland) 10; Ruth Seeman (Otago, 11; Annette Smith (Auckland) 12.