Forgotten trio bounce back to prominence

Press, 19 December 1986, Page 38

Forgotten trio bounce back to prominence

PA Wellington David Mustard, Greg Long and Liz Daly, all largely forgotten by the New Zealand tennis public, bounced back into prominence at the BP national championships at Central Park yesterday.

Long, who has spent the last five years at Memphis State University, beat the men’s singles fifth seed, David Lewis, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, and in the process reminded spectators what a fluid, smooth-stroking player he is. Mustard, who did not campaign overseas much this year, displayed his complete racket skills and flair in beating last year’s beaten finalist, James Dunphy, 6-4, 6-4. Daly, who faded from the New Zealand limelight after winning the national junior title three years ago, beat the ”ourth women’s seed, Ruth Seeman, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Though he slipped a set jehind, Long, aged 23, was too insistent and accurate for his fellow Aucklander, Lewis, whose game fell away in the dying stages. "Perhaps the people here have hardly heard of me,” he said later, “but I was quite confident going on to the court. I think I’ve only lost to David a couple of times out of the 11 or 12 times we’ve met. “I don’t feel I played that well, but I seemed to have a psychological edge. He was certainly brittle at the end.” Long now meets the top seed, Steve Guy, harried to beat Simon Robinson in three sets today. “If I hit my best form I could beat Steve,” said Long. “But I seem to be very inconsistent. I know I have the equipment, but I’d have to play well.” Mustard, who played atrociously at last season’s

nationals, was back to his best yesterday. He showed outstanding bail control, covered the court well and threw away few points. He consistently outplayed Dunphy, normally a good strategist, yesterday. Mustard now runs into a fellow left-hander, Bruce Derlin, who wiped aside the challenge of the 17-year-old, Brett Steven, with almost contemptuous ease, 6-1, 6-3. In another men’s match the American, Bobby Blair, showed he’ll take a power of beating when he allowed Greg Hansford only four games. Hansford has had a good season and yesterday hit with great power. Against most players he would have been a real threat, but Blair, bouncing about the court as if on springs, returned everything that came at him just as hard. He will meet the defending champion, Kelly Evernden, in a match which promises to be a top contest today. Daly showed that the two years she spent at university near Dallas have helped her considerably. She proved light on her feet and extremely steady. Seeman made most of the play, and was the keener to get to the net, but Daly kept her head and never tried to overplay her hand. She only finally took the lead at 5-4 in the third set but, as she reflected later, it was the right time

to be ahead. Today in the women’s singles Belinda Cordwell will play the fast-improv-ing Auckland junior, Claudine Toleafoa, in the feature match. Results.— MEN Singles Second round: S. Guy (Wellington) beat S. Robinson (Waikato), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; G. Long (Auckland) beat D. Lewis (Auckland), 3-6, 6-2, 61; B. Blair (U.S.) beat G. Hansford (Auckland), 6-3, 6-1; K. Evernden (Gisborne) beat M. Maiden (Auckland), 6-1, 62. Quarter-finals: B. Derlin (Auckland) beat B. Steven (Auckland), 6-1, 6-3; D. Mustard (Auckland) beat J. Dunphy (Wellington), 6-4, 6-4. Doubles Second round: Guy and Smith (Wellington) beat G. Liddell and J. Stephen (Wellington), 6-2, 6-4; Blair and Robinson beat B. Hibbert (Canterbury) and M. Elley (Auckland), 6-1, 7-6; Mustard and Steven beat M. Maiden (Auckland) and Hansford by default; T. Turnbull (Auckland) and Long beat Dunphy and Lewis, 7-6, 6-1. WOMEN Singles Quarter-finals: K. Richardson (Auckland) beat R. Gunnion (Wellington), 6-0, 6-1; E. Daly (Invercargill) beat R. Seeman (Dunedin), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. Doubles First round: B. Cordwell (Wellington) and Richardson beat A. Callender (Wellington) and J. Cooper (H. Valley), 6-0, 6-0; Daly and Seeman beat D. Lugtig and E. Willis (E. Coast-P. Bay), 6-0, 6-0; S. Green (U.S.) and A. Tate (Auckland) beat A. Hastings (Wellington) and Gunnion, 6-2, 6-4.