Superior Service Gave Robson The NZ Singles Title

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26981, 17 January 1949, Page 6

Superior Service Gave Robson The NZ Singles Title

Special to the Daily Times

* WELLINGTON, Jan. 16. High-powered service, constant net incursions and glorious backhand strokes gave J. E. Robson (Otago) a splendid win over R. S. McKenzie (Wellington) in the Men’s Singles event when the New Zealand Tennis Championship finals were played before a capacity crowd of 4000 at Central Park, Wellington, on Saturday. McKenzie has held the Singles title for the past three years. Mrs J. J. McVay (Wellington), winner of the Mixed Doubles with McKenzie on Friday, became a triple title holder on Saturday when she defeated Miss M. Kerr (Otago) in the Women’s Singles, and with Mrs J. Robb (Hutt Valley), took the Doubles title from last year’s champions, Miss E. G. Attwood (Auckland) and Miss Kerr.

Mrs McVay, conqueror of Singleo champion. Miss Attwood, in the semifinal, beat Miss Kerr in two sets. Rain delayed the start of the tournament an hour and a-half on the first day. but did not. interfere again till it interruped in the Men’s Doubles final on Saturday at. 6 p.m. McKenzie and S. Painter (Wellington), title holders, at that stage were leading Robson and O. M. Bold (Hutt Valley) 6—4, B—6, and B—all in the third. The match was resumed on Sunday afternobn, when McKenzie and Painter won the two games they needed in four minutes without loss of a point. It was a rather humorous anti-climax to a hitherto close match in defence of the national championship title. The Women’s Plate was won by Miss J. Burke (Taranaki junior), and the Men’s Plate by L. P. Roach (Waikato). The gross takings from the tournament were in the vicinity of £I2OO. Saturday’s crowd was almost certainly the biggest ever seen at a tennis fixture in Wellington. Rarely inaccurate, Robson’s backhand shots against McKenzie were the most attractive single feature of a grand afternoon’s play. They served him well in retrieving, driving and volleying, and evoked frequent applause. Robson, playing superbly in every way, however. He won 6—l, 3 —6, 6—2, 6—4. His service was splen-

Robb’s serving was of a notably high standai’d throughout the match. Though Robson did not recapture quite the inspired accuracy of his earlier effort in the first two sets of the Men’s Doubles, his play was full of spectacular attractions. The standard dropped very low in the third set, but this was almost certainly due in large measure to the sharply increased coldness of the weather. It was difficult to take the conclusion of the match on Sunday afternoon at all seriously. It took four minutes, during which McKenzie and Painter won eight points, and Robson and Bold none. Robson got his service over in the first of the two games, but later errors let McKenzie and Painter into the lead, 9 —B. McKenzie served next. Robson netted a volley, and McKenzie buried a smash. Painter punched a volley away, and the wind interfered with the last ball, for Bold to pick it up badly and flip it well out of the court. The champions had held the title. Miss Burke’s unhurried stroking against Mrs J. Graham (Hutt Valley) in the Women's Plate final was a delight to watch. Miss Burke missed a good opportunity to win the first set at 6—4, but eventually took the match. B—6, 6—3. After the Men’s Plate final, between Roach and M. Souter (South Canterbury). had been in progress almost an hour and a-half, the score stood at one set- all, Souter having won the first 14—12., The contest at this stage was transferred to the back court, where Roach went on to win an hour later at B—s in the fourth.

did and wus greatly superior to McKenzie’s, whose fast first service faulted almost all the time. The former champion was'getting a good kick on to the second-ball, but Robson was rarely beaten by it. The Otago man constantly moved in behind good length drives to take command of the game at the net, where he was prepared to move rather than merely stretch. He has a remarkably wide coverage which proved equal even to the speed of McKenzie’s game. Though McKenzie won the second set. Robson’s play was still brilliant, as. for instance, when he won his third game. The first three serves were unreturned. and a clear winner from the net position gave him the game without loss of a point. After 2—all in the third set, Robson could not go wrong and took the set without further loss. McKenzie, however, was sending many returns over the back _line and wasted a hearty smash by hitting the net with his racket. McKenzie broke Robson’s service with a series of fine shots to give him a 3—2 lead in the 'fourth, only to put the ball out once and net it twice in the next game and lose it off his own serving. Robson found it very difficult to lob over McKenzie’s great reach, however, particularly if the ball was being tossed against the wind. Robson took the game to love for 5—4 in the fourth. The tenth game ran to three deuces. It was unfortunate that the final point was lost after McKenzie had had to replay a possible ace. because the linesman did not sight the serve. Mrs McVay was less nervous than Miss Kerr in the Women’s Singles final, and her drives were more severe. Both double faulted occasionally, but netted drives 1 told heavily against Miss Kerr throughout. Despite volleying errors, the Otago woman played ‘ the net game more persistently than in earlier matches, but could / not get in as often, or as successfully, as her opponent. As against Miss Attwood, Mrs McVay found the net game her greatest asset, though it was well supplemented by good length drives. Successful net incursion by Miss Kerr for I—all in second set started her on a spurt of extra-energetic play, and strong forehand strokes to Mrs McVay’s backhand gave her the next game. Cross court forehands that left Miss Kerr standing then took Mrs McVay on to 4 —2 when Miss Kerr again put the pressure on. A good serve, a good cross court drive, and two overhead volleys at the net gave her her third game in quick time, but it was her last. Mrs McVay winning a bright final rally tc take the match 6—2, 6—3. Miss Kerr volleyed and smashed more accurately and frequently in the Doubles final than at any time during the past fortnight of tournament play. Had her net been of the same quality in the Singles, it would have

made a great difference to her chances It was not a major surprise, nevertheless, that she and Miss Attwood failed to retain the title. Twice in danger of defeat in recent matches, they have not impressed as a strong combination. The net game at no time was a strong feature of Miss Attwood’s play, and the severity there of both Mrs McVay and’ Mrs Robb won them the match 7—5, 6—B. 6—2. The ultimate victors quickly reached a 4—l lead in the first set, but the title defenders then found a better answer to their attacks. The match grew more even and correspondingly more interesting with the third set the best of all. Miss Attwood had only a limited success with her attempts to break through her opponent’s net coverage by driving the ball straight at them, but her tosses were good. All four players featured in two particularly fine volleying exchanges at Hie end of the second set, while Mrs