Tennis Champions In Quarter-Finals

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31096, 27 June 1966, Page 3

Tennis Champions In Quarter-Finals

(N.Z P.A. Reuter —Copyright; LONDON. Persistent rain brought a damp and premature end to Wimbledon’s first week of championship tennis on Saturday. But the defending champions, R. Emerson and Miss M. Smith, both of Australia, beat the weather by racing through to the last eight in defence of their singles titles.

The rain, which begain two hours after the start of play, transformed the usually colourful gay scene at Wimbledon’s All-England Club into a grey, drab vista. The biggest crowd of the week huddled disconsolately under all available shelter. In the dressing rooms, frustrated players, whose matches had been interrupted, fretted over the delay.

Only a quarter of the day’s programme could be completed. Normally, the half-way stage in the Wimbledon fortnight is reached with both singles events reduced to the last eight, but Saturday’s hold-up resulted in only four men and six women winning through to the quarter-finals. Emerson, bidding for a

post-war record of a third successive Wimbledon singles title, maintained tremendous form to crush the 20-year-old American. S. Smith, 6-2, 6-2. 6-2. The champion, now in the quarter-finals for the eighth time, next meets his unseeded compatriot. O. Davidson. The Australian seemed to put the ball exactly where he wanted it to go. In the first set Emerson broke Smith’s service twice, the first occasion being a supreme example of the champion’s accuracy. American Groping He passed Smith brilliantly with forehand drives on three occasions, and then a crosscourt return had the young American groping as he tost the game to love. Emerson was almost mach-ine-like as he raced through the second set 6-2 for a twoset lead in less than 45 minutes. Smith, 6ft 3in and the former American junior champion, is potential material for the future, .but he was under pressure from the champion throughout. Emerson showed that he is now almost completely back to his very best form and that -it would take a giant to dethrone him. Results of singles matches: The only other men’s quarter-final so far known is between the American, R. D. Ralston, and the Australian, R. A. Hewitt, who reached that stage on Friday. WOMEN'S SINGLES Third Round ‘Mrs A. Jones (Britain) beat

Miss F. V. MacLennan (Britain). 6-0, 6-2; ‘Miss A. van Zyl (S. Africa) beat Miss M. Hablcht (U.S ). 6-3, 6-1: Miss M G. Arnold (U.S.) beat Miss L. A. Rossoum (S. Africa). 6-1. 7-5. Mrs C. W. Brasher (Britain) beat Mrs W. D. Greville Collins (Britain), 6-4. 6-3: -Miss N. Rlchev (U.S ) beat Miss R .BentIley (Britain), 36. 64. 62: Miss R. Casals (U.S ) beat Miss K. A Melville (Aust.), 16. 7-5, 64. Miss J. A. Tegart (Aust.) beat Miss J. Helman (U.S.). 6-1, 6-1: ‘Mrs B. J. King lU.S.) beat Miss B. Stove (Netherlands), 6-4, 6-3: Miss K. M. Harter (U.S.) beat Miss H. Schultze (Germany), 6-3. 6-2. Miss E. Buding (Germany) beat Miss S. Pachta (Austria), 6-1, 6-3; Miss M. Schacht (Aust.) beat Miss A. Jansen Venneboer (Netherlands). 6-0. 6-3; -Miss M. E. Bueno (Brazil) beat Miss T. Fretz (U.S.), 6-2, 6-0. •Miss M. Smith (Aust.) beat Miss J. Albert (U.S ). 6 1. 6-2: Miss T. Groenman (Netherlands) beat -Miss N. Bayion (Argentina), 4-6. 6-4. Fourth Round •Miss van Zyl beat Miss Arnold. 6-1. 6-2; ‘Mrs Jones beat Miss Casal, 6-2 6-3: Miss Groenman beat Miss Schact 6-1, 6-2. •Mrs King beat Miss K. Krantzcke (Aust.), 6-7. 6-2; *Mlss F. Durr (France) beat Mrs Brasher, 6-2, 6-2: ’Miss Smith beat Miss Buding. 6-1, 6-2. Unfinished match: *Mlsa Ricey leads Miss Harter, 6-2. MEN'S SINGLES Fourth Round O. K. Davidson (Aust.) beat T. Okker (Netherlands), 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3; »R. D. Ralston (U.S.) beat P. Darmon (France), 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4; R. J. Hewitt (Aust.) beat W. W. Bowrey (Aust ). 4-6. 6-4, 7-5, 6-1: •R. Emerson (Aust.) beat S. R. Smith (U.S.), 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Unfinished matches: K. Fletcher (Aust.)3 leads J. Mukerjea (India), 2-6, 10-8, 9-7: *M. Santana (Spain) leads R. K. Wilson (Britain), 6-3, 6-2, 1-2. (•Denotea seeded players.)