Last Year’s Champions Retain Mixed Doubles Title in Tournament

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26980, 15 January 1949, Page 8

Last Year’s Champions Retain Mixed Doubles Title in Tournament

PA WELLINGTON, Jan. 14. A comfortable win was recorded by last year’s Mixed Doubles tfennis champions, R. S. McKenzie and Mrs J. J. McVay (Wellington), in the first of the finals of this year’s National tournament to-day. They retained their title by beating J. A. Barry and Miss E. G. Attwood (Auckland), 6—3, 6—l. The Auckland pair, seeded third in the tournament, eliminated the second seeded pair, J. E. Robson and Miss M. Kerr (Otago) in the semi-final played earlier in the afternoon. The other four championship finals and the finals of the Plate Tournament will be played to-morrow.

The most interesting match to-day was the Men’s Doubles semi-final, in which A- S. Burns (Auckland) and Barry took one set off, the. champions, S- Painter (Wellington) and McKenzie. O. Bold (Hutt Valley) and Robson are the other Men’s Doubles finalists, and the final of the Women’s Doubles will be contested by the present champions, Misses Attwood and Kerr and Mesdames McVay and J. Robb (Hutt Valley). Convincing Win With Barry’s net play in splendid trim, he and Miss Attwood scored a convincing win over Robson and Miss Kerr. Though there were too many errors to allow the match to reach a very high standard, it had several good features, including the amazing returns of repeated smashes. Barry showed up well in this also. Robson’s service was the most useful point-winner his partnership possessed. In addition to imparting a terrific kick to it, he varied its direction to the utmost limit the service court would allow, and Miss Attwood, in particular, was frequently beaten by either its bounce or the angle. Miss Kerr, however, had three games taken off her service, while the number of drives and volleys she netted w’ould alone have been enough to cost her the match. Miss Kerr played much more effectively in the Women’s Doubles semifinal in which she and Miss Attwood beat Mesdames K. Hart and M. Lawrence (Canterbury) 6—3. 6—2. Grand Retrieving Barry’s grand retrieving added spectacle to the Mixed Doubles final, though the result was not long in doubt. All four contestants played very pleasing tennis. Barry and Miss Attwood ran into an early lead of three games to one, but McKenzie’s returns of Barry’s service proved constant winners. The champions went through to win two sets for the loss of only one more game. This was the fourth , in the second set which Barry claimed with a series of net volleys. Had Barry and Burns been able consistently to maintain the second set form, they might well have won the Men’s Doubles semi-final which McKenzie and fainter finally took from them 6—3, I—6, 6—2. B—6. All four were frequently called by the foot-fault judge. In the sixth game of the first set McKenzie twigg foot-faulted and served three double faults, the game going to his opponents. McKenzie again lost his own service In the first game of the second set when he netted two volleys and a smash and double faulted again. Painter’s volleying was outstanding from the start and in spite of his slower service, he played at least as useful a game as his partner. The champions were outplayed at precisely their own type of game in the second set. Burns was playing

very coolly at the net. He also made a specialty of returning Painter’s service too wide out for Painter, moving in to the net position, to reach. Well-judged shots, continued to flow from Barry and Burns’s rackets at the beginning of 'the third set, and m numerous spasms in the closelyrfought fourth; but too many shots, such as they were succeeding with before failed to cross the net band. Volleys and Smashes After being one game ahead in the fourth. Burns began netting very frequently while McKenzie's devastating smash, previously netted and outed several times, was working well again. He and Painter moved into a 5 lead only to have Barry win the next with a splendid bout of volleys and smashes. Burns won the next with effective serving to take the Auckland pair into the lead, at 6 —5. It was for the last time, however. P. Becroft and A. Tills (Auckland) made a close run of the first set of their semi-final against Robson and Bold, but they were soundly thrashed in the second and third. In these they claimed only two games. Useful volleys by Miss C. Nea\ e (Otago) and back-hand returns from difficult positions by Miss M. Beverley (Waikato) enabled this pair to run Mesdames McVay and Robb to advantage in the first set of their Women’s Doubles semi-final. Mis McVay got more squarely on to_ her strokes in the second set for a wm at 0 o To-day was another day of dull but fine weather. The gate takings were the highest so far—£ll3. Results; — TVlen’s Doubles. —Semi - finals: R. McKenzie and S. Painter (Wellington) beat J. Barry and A. Burns (Auckland) 6—3. I—6, 6—2 B—6; O Bold (Hutt Valley) and J. Robson (Otago) beat P. Becroft and A. Tills (Auckland) B—6,8 —6, 6—o, 6 —2. Women’s Doubles—Semi-finals: Mesdames J. McVay (Wellington) and J. Robb (Hutt Valley) beat Misses M. Beverley (Waikato) and C. Neave (Otago) B—6, 6—2; Misses E. Attwood (Auckland) and M. Kerr (Otago) beat Mesdames K. Hart and M. Lawrence (Canterbury) 6—3, 6—2. Mixed Doubles.—Semi-final: .J. Barry and Miss E. Attwood (Auckland) beat J. Robson and Miss M. Kerr (Otago) 6—3, 7—5. Final: McKenzie and Mrs McVay (Wellington) ‘beat Barry and Miss Attwood 6—3, 6 —l. PLATE EVENTS Men’s Singles.—Quarter-final: L. PRoach (Waikato) beat A. Wetherall (Wellington) B—6, 7—5, 6—l. Semifinals: M. Souter (South Canterbury) beat P. Nicholls (Wellington) 6—2, 7_5, 6—2; Roach beat A. McCardle (Wellington) 3—6, 9—7, 6—4, 3—6. 6 Women’s Singles.—Semi-final: Miss J. Burke (Taranaki) beat Mrs J. Webb (Wellington) 6 —2, 6—4