Lewis hit by stomach virus

Press, 31 May 1982, Page 28

Lewis hit by stomach virus

NZPA-Reuter . Paris The New Zealand tennis player, Chris Lewis, is one of seven players to have now been hit by a stomach influenza which officials fear may cause havoc at the French Open championships. Lewis had to call off his second round match against Gabriel Urpi, of Spain. One official — herself suffering from the virus-type illness — said: "It’s going round the locker-room like wildfire.”

The latest victim yesterday was Ann Smith, of the United States, seeded eighth, who pulled out of her fourthround match against Rumania’s Lucia Romanov with the first set score at 6-5 against her. She had been given an

injection before going on court but was unable to fight off the illness. . Britain’s Sue Barker, the No. 13 seed, pulled out on the first day of the competition. Bonnie Gadusek, of the United States, forfeited her third round match against the seventh seed, Mima Jausovec, of Yugoslavia, before she was due on court yesterday, and Marcella Mesker, of the Netherlands, quit during her match against Yvonne Vermaak, of South Africa. The men have been relatively lucky, only two having had to quit so far. The first was Lewis and then Jiri Granat, of Yugoslavia, had to give up his third-round battle against Jose Higueras, of Spain, with the score at 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.