Lloyd in second U.S. tennis round

Press, 25 July 1985, Page 48

Lloyd in second U.S. tennis round

NZPA-Reuter Livingston, New Jersey John Lloyd of Britain has moved into the second round of the $500,000 New Jersey Tennis Championship with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over the veteran, John Alexander, of Australia. Lloyd, ranked thirty-third in the world, took a while to adapt himself to the fast hard courts before taking charge against Alexander. The British ace, who lost to John McEnroe in the finals here in 1979, earned a service break in the eleventh game of the first set, and in the first and seventh games of the second.

“It was tough playing any rallies. You have to be aggressive on every ball, because the courts are so quick,” said Lloyd, aged 30, who will lead Britain against Switzerland in Davis Cup play next week. Lloyd plays Jim Grabb, a member of the United States Junior Davis Cup team, in the second round today. The defending champion and No. 1 seed, Johan Kriek, of the United States, advanced with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over his compatriot, Scott McCain. Kriek, ranked fourteenth, used the same route as Lloyd, gaining a service break in the eleventh game

to take the first set and opening the second set with another break. Eddie Edwards, of South Africa, who faces Kriek in the second round, won a three-set duel from Leif Shiras of the United States 6-1, 2-6, 6-3. The lone seed to fall was the eighth-seeded Marc Flur, of the United States, who dropped a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 decision to the American qualifier, Marcel Freeman. In other action, the veteran American, Brian Teacher, ousted the South African, Charles Honey, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 while Grabb beat Christo Steyn, of South Africa, 6-4, 6-4.