No Test For Top Seeds In Tennis

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30975, 3 February 1966, Page 17

No Test For Top Seeds In Tennis

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND.

The top seeds, R. Emerson and F. Stolle, both of Australia, had light work-outs and comfortable victories when the Wills international tennis tournament began at the Stanley street courts, Auckland, yesterday.

Emerson, the Wimbledon champion, was never in top gear to beat R. J. Wong (Auckland), 6-4, 6-1, 7-5, while Stolle was more severe on another Aucklander, R. J, Keenan, winning 6-3. 6-1,6-2.

New Zealand lost one of its international players when R. N. Hawkes was beaten in his first round match.

z After four hardfought sets, Hawkes lost to Jose Gisbert, a younger brother of the Spanish Davis Cup player.

Hawkes took the first set 8-4 and held leads in both ♦he second and third, before losing, 6-4, 3-6. 3-6, 5-7. In the second set Hawkes led 3-2 and in the fourth

looked as though he was right on top when he led 4-1. He held two game points for a 5-1 lead but allowed the smoother-hitting Spaniard to recover.

Gisbert caught up to 4-4 and Hawkes again had chances of taking the advantage when he held a game point for 5-4 and two game points for 6-5. But he could not cope with the Spaniard’s passing shots. The Hutt Valley junior, K. Woolcott had an even match with the Chilean, P. Rodriguez. This match went for the most part with service but the overseas player just had too much guile for his younger opponent. HARD STRUGGLE ..

P. B. Becroft (Auckland) gave the promising junior, B. E. Fairlie (Auckland), a hard struggle before losing in four sets, 12-10, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Later, Fairlie and Mrs J. Bignell surprised by taking the first set of their mixed doubles match against the national title-holders, Hawkes and Miss K. Melville, of Australia.

Fairlie and Mrs Bignell won the first set 6-3, and were trailing, 2-3, in the second when play was stopped by bad light. The withdrawal of the Argentinian University team of three players, which was to have arrived in Auckland late on Tuesday, and the withdrawal of the Australian University player, G. Simpson,

reduced the number of overseas players to eight in the men’s singles. The Argentine players notified the organisers late on Tuesday night that they had made other arrangements and would not be competing. Results: MEN’S SINGLES First Round

R. A. Emerson (Australia) beat R. J. Young (Auckland), 6-4, 6-1, 7-5; D. Simmonds (Auckland) beat J. Danzabal (Argentina), by default; B. E. Fairlie (Auckland) beat P. B. Becroft (Auckland), 12-10, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5; J. Gisbert (Spain) beat R. N. Hawkes (Wellington), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5; P. Rodriguez (Chile) beat K. Woolcott (Hutt Valley), 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. R. G. Clarke (Wellington) beat D. Harms (Argentina) by default; R. Russell! (British West Indies 1 ) beat E. D. White (Auckland), 6-3, 7-5, 6-2; L. A. Gerrard (Auckland) beat C. Pascoe (Auckland), 8-6, 6-2, 6-3. R. Taylor (Britain) beat D. Cassiidy (North Shore), 6-4, 6-3, 6-4; J. H. Lockington (Auckland) led A. S. Burns (Auckland), 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 (unfinished); J. E. Robson (Auckland) beat A. Harms (Argentina) by default; R. Ruffels (Australia) beat F. Schwanner (Auckland), 6-0, 6-1, 6-1.

J. B. Souter (Wellington) beat J. H. Fergusson (Auckland), 7-9, 6-3, 8-6, 6-0; P. Keller (Australia) beat K. H. Long (Auckland), 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 10-8; B. Young (Auckland) beat I. Beverley (Waikato), 6-2, 6-2, 6-2; F. S. Stolile (Australia) beat R. J. Keenan (Auckland), 6-3, 6-1, 6-2.

MEN'S DOUBLES First Round

Taylor and Rodriguez beat Ferguson and Simmonds, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

MIXED DOUBLES First Round

Ruffels and Wss Smith (Australia) beat Cassidy and Miss Deirdre Kerr-Taylor (Auckland), 6-0, 6-1; Gerrard and Mrs E. Stephan (Auckland) beat Woolcott and Miss H. Ward (North Shore), 6-3, 9-7; Gisbert and Miss C. Fleming (Auckland) beat Rodriguez and Miss M. Bouille (France), 13-11, 6-0.