Simpson, Parun combine for excellent win

Press, 15 January 1982, Page 22

Simpson, Parun combine for excellent win

PA Auckland Russell Simpson, who meets fellow Davis Cup player, Chris Lewis, in the international Open tennis singles quarter-final today, had an unexpected bonus yesterday when, together with Onny Parun, he advanced into the second round of the doubles.

The unseeded SimpsonParun combination beat the second seeds. David Carter (Australia) and Mike Estep (United States) in the first round of the Le Coq Sportif men’s doubles of the Benson and Hedges Open. Proving to be a compatible and skilful combination, the New Zealanders won 4-6, 7-6. 6-2. The rousing reception they were given by the crowd which had sensed an upset should give Simpson confidence for his match against Lewis. Simpson is not convinced that Lewis in unbeatable. Before the end of the first round of the men’s singles, Simpson had said “Lewis should win the tournament if he beats me." That could be more than a casual prediction. Already Simpson has had three hard matches to bring him to a peak, while Lewis had relatively easy singles wins against Nick Mohtadi (Can-

ada) in the first round and Ron Hightower in the second. Lewis and the second seed in the singles, Tim Wilkison .(United States) combined in the doubles for which they were the top seeds yesterday.' Their results were less than hoped for as they bowed out to the unseeded Americans, Hightower and Jim Delaney, 4-6, 4-6. Not particularly happy as a combination, the top singles players may well have had their potential singles clash in mind. Wilkison advanced to the quarter-finals by beating Chris Dunk (United States), 76, 6-3, without displaying his usual flair. A slow start by the 1979 winner of the Benson and Hedges Open is not unusual and he certainly has the easier task in reaching the final. Already in his half of the draw, third-seeded Steve Krulevitz (United States), fifth-seeded Richard Lewis (England), and seventhseeded Martin Davis (United

States) have been eliminated. Richard Lewis was upset 3-6, 2-6 by last season’s Air New Zealand satellite circuit runner-up, Larry Stefanki (United States), while Davis went out to Chris Mayotte (United States), 4-6, 6-3 7-5. Krulevitz departed in the first round, beaten by the 23-year-old Lloyd Bourne (United States), whose double-handed backhand proved a match winner against the up and coming New Zealander, Bruce Derlin, yesterday. On the professional circuit for the last 18 months, the Stanford University graduate beat Derlin 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. He gave credit to Derlin’s hard hitting peformance and said it was hard for Derlin to win from an easy first-set lead because he was expected to win and had added pressure. In the top half of the draw, Matt Mitchell, another unseeded American, put out the fourth seed, David Carter, 63, 0-6, 7-5.

The winner of the LewisSimpson quarter-final is then almost certain to have to overcome the sixth seed, Robert Van’t Hof, to reach the final. Van’t Hof (United States) also has a strong claim to the doubles title after pairing with Stefanki to win their quarter-final match against Bourne and Mitchell, 6-3, 6-3. Results:— Le Coq Sportif men's singles.— Second round: T. Wilkison (U.S.), beat C. Dunk (U.S.), 7-6, 6-3; L. Stefanki (U.S.) beat R. Lewis (U.K.), 6-3, 6-2; C. Mayotte (U.S.) beat M. Davis (U.S.), 4-6, 6-3. 7-5; L. Bourne (U.S.) beat B. Derlin (N.Z.), 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. Le Coq Sportif men's doubles.—First round: J. Delaney and R. Hightower (U.S.) beat C. Lewis (N.Z.) and T. Wilkison (U.S.), 6-4, 6-4; S. Krulevitz and C. Mayotte (U.S.) beat.K. Evernden and D. Lewis (N.Z.), 6-2, 6-4; 0. Parun and R. Simpson (N.Z.) beat D. Carter (Aust.) and M. Estep (U.S.), 4-6, 7-6, 6-2. Quarter-finals: L. Stefanki and R. Van’t Hof (U.S.) beat L. Bourne and M. Mitchell (U.S.). 6-3, 6-3.