CENTENNIAL TENNIS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 February 1940, Page 6

CENTENNIAL TENNIS

NEW ZEALAND TOURNEY OPENED HAWKSWORTH DEFEATED IN FIRST ROUND. BY SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD OPPONENT. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Brilliant sunshine with a light breeze provided ideal conditions for the opening this morning of the New Zealand Centennial tennis championships at Miramar. The entries include not only all the best New Zealand talent but also Australian topline players. Messrs J. Bromwich. J. H. Crawford. Misses T. Coyne, N. Wynne and M. Hardcastle, whose appearance will add outstanding interest to the tournament. While it is expected that the Australians will contest all the finals, leading New Zealand players can be relied upon to give the visitors many hard-fought matches. The Australians will arrive in Wellington tomorrow morning and will make their first appearance in the second round of the singles championships. By defeating P. Hawksworth, who is Wairarapa champion, R. McKenzie, the seventeen-year-old New Zealand junior champion, provided the outstanding result of the first round in the men’s singles. It was mostly a .baseline duel, in which both players produced tennis of a high standard at times. McKenzie was steadier than his harder hitting opponent, who outed and netted too often. The third set was notable for the fine recovery by Hawksworth. Down 2/5, he levelled the scores to six all, scoring many winners with fast and beautifully placed drives. He then fell into errors and dropped the set. Results are:— MEN’S SINGLES. First Round. M. J. Corich (Canterbury) beat E. Walker (Wellington). 6/1, 6/3. 7/5; N. G. .Sturt (Auckland) beat S. S. Hooper (Manawatu). 6/2, 6/3. 6/0; S. Painter (Wellington) beat C. W. Cresswell (Southland) by default; McKenzie (Wellington) beat P. Hawksworth (Wairarapa), 6/3, 3/6, 8/6. 9/7; R. V. Robb (Wellington) beat R. Sharpe (Hawke’s Bay). 8/6, 6-3, 6/2. WOMEN’S SINGLES. First Round. Mrs D. G. France (Wellington) beat Miss E. Attwood (Manawatu), 6/2, 6/4. Mrs I. Hatherley (Canterbury) beat Miss M. Kerr (Otago). 6/2, 2/6, 6/1; Miss M. Howe (Wellington) beat Miss M. Glenny (Hawke’s Bay). 6/1, 6/3; Miss J. Douthett (Wellington) beat Miss K. Armstrong (Canterbury). 6/3, 10/8; Miss P. Longton (Wellington) beat Miss C. Chester (Canterbury), 8/6, 8/6.