In doubles, Brian Cheney/Jimmy Parker, Gordon Davis (with Aussie Peter Froehlich), George McCabe (with Aussie Max Byrne), Charlene Hillebrand/Suella Steel, and Rita Price (with Jutta Appel of Germany) won doubles titles.

Carter broke down in tears after winning her world title, over Elle Krocke, a former world champion, so much so that onlookers who hadn’t been paying sufficient attention to the match thought she’d lost! Anne Cheney (Brian’s wife) was on hand to see the final point and handed Brenda her cell so she could call her husband to tell him the good news. Carter, seeded 4^th, avenged her Cup loss to another former world champion, Carol Campling of Australia, before ousting Krocke, of the Netherlands. Krocke had beaten the #2 seed , Frances MacLennan from Great Britain in the semis.

Carter and Heide Orth of Germany (and Palm Coast) reached the doubles final, where Campling and MacLennan took out their singles frustrations with a fine doubles performance, winning in straight sets.

Hillebrand, the defending 65s singles champion, seeded third behind Orth and Steel, upset Orth in the semis in three sets, avenging her loss to Orth suffered earlier in the year at the USTA National 65 Clay Court Championship. That battle left her a bit tired when she went up against surprise finalist Jeannie Lieffrig of So Africa in the final. Lieffrig scored her first ever win against Hillebrand in the final. Steel lost to Jackie Boothman in the quarters, while her Godfree Cup teammates, Sinclair Bill and Cathie Anderson lost in the same round to Lieffrig and Orth respectively.

Hillebrand/Steel retained their world doubles title with a close two-set win over Anderson/Bill in an all American final.

The women’s 70s were dominated by Americans. Burnette Herrick took out the #3 seed and top Aussie, Margaret Robinson, in three sets in the round of 16, only to fall in a close three set tussle to her Gibson Cup teammate Roz King in the next round. King beat the #7 seed, Inge Weber, of Canada, for the second time this year in the round of 16. Carol Wood, unseeded, beat the #8 seed, Nola Collins, and the #4 seed, and defending champion, Jacqueline LeCaillon, France, before falling to the #2 seeded American, Dori deVries in the semis. Matthiessen beat King in the other semi. The final was as close as one gets. Dori ran off with the first set 61 and looked poised to capture her first world singles title when she led 6-3 in the second set tiebreaker. A bit of nerves, a bad bounce and a good shot by Dorothy leveled the breaker at 6-6 and Dorothy never looked back, winning the breaker 8-6 and the third set, and her 4^th world title, 6-3. Dorothy’s comment after the match was that “she never wanted to do that again”, by which she meant get down three match points!

An hour after the singles final deVries/Matthiessen were on court for their doubles semis against Collins/Robinson and the Aussies won in three sets and went on to beat surprise finalists King/Wood (who had beaten the 2^nd and third seeds) in the final.

Boswell won her first world singles  title in Christchurch, edging Canadian Muffie Grieve (who, unseeded, beat the #2 seed in the quarters) in three sets in the final. It caps a magnificent year for Mary, who won gold slams in the singles and doubles in the US in the women’s 75s division.

In the 80s, Price reached the singles final, upsetting the 2^nd seed, Jutta Appel, Germany in the semis before losing to Aussie Elsie Crowe in three sets in the final. Appel/Price won the doubles title with a straight set win over Aussies Crowe/Beth Lown.

Cheney/Parker won the men’s 60s doubles title after having a disappointing tournament in singles. Cheney injured his calf in his quarterfinal singles match, losing it 60 60, but was able to move well enough to help Parker win the doubles. Cheney went undefeated 60 doubles this year, winning the hard, clay and indoor titles (and the 55 grass). Michael Beautyman reached the doubles semis.

Drilling won his first ever world singles title, besting Bob Howes, who beat him the week before in the final of the Britannia Cup. This time Drilling won in straight sets. He also reached the doubles semis with Rudy Hernando.

Herm Ahlers upset the top seed in the men’s 70s, Peter Froehlich, using his big serve on the grass to win two tiebreakers after dropping the first set. In the final, New Zealand’s Mose Harvey gave the host country it’s only world singles title when he ousted Ahlers 76 64. Froehlich/Davis won the doubles title over Bob Duesler/Ahlers in three sets.

Thomas Springer, playing his first overseas world championships, upset Ken Sinclair of Canada in the quarters to reach the semis before falling to Japan’s Atsuschi Miyagi. Lorne Main of Canada won his 11^th world title though in beating Miyagi in the final.

McCabe of the US teamed with Max Byrne of Australia in what proved to be a winning combination. The unseeded pair upset Chuck DeVoe/Springer in the semis and Main/Sinclair in the final to become world champions.

Graydon Nichols finished the year undefeated in 80 singles after he beat his doubles partner and the defending world champion, Tony Franco, in three sets in the 80 singles final. However, Franco/Nichols fell in three sets to the Australian team of Doug Corbett/Ward Hillier in three sets later in the day. This was a rematch of last year’s final in which the Americans won from a set and 5-1 down…this time the Aussies rallied from a set down to win.

Congratulations to all the American teams and players. Everyone competed hard and represented the USA well. The conditions were tough, cold and windy, but the people of New Zealand were as warm and friendly as their weather wasn’t!

Brenda Carter upset top seeded Carol Campling in straight sets today, a reversal of the outcome of their match a week ago during the Alice Marble Cup. It was her first win over Campling and her first world singles final. Carter has dominated the 60s in the US over the past two years. She plays Elle Krocke in the final.

Charlene Hillebrand, the defending world champion, upset top seeded Heide Orth, handing Orth a rare loss in her age division, in three long sets. She plays Jeannie Lieffrig of So Africa next.

Dori DeVries ended Carol Wood’s fine run today and Dorothy Matthiessen took out her Gibson Cup teammate Roz King 63 63, ending her run as well. It will b an All American final in the 70s.

Mary Boswell reached the 75s final, beating defending champion Ruth Illingworth and plays Muffie Grieve of Canada, who was unseeded, but who took out Rita Lauder and Elaine Stephan to reach the final.

Brian Cheney was upset in the quarters of the men’s 60s by the unlikely score of 60 60 today, by a Dutch player.

Fred Drilling remains in contention in the men’s 65s, where he’s in the semis.

Herm Ahlers edged his Australian opponent, Ian King today 76 in the third, but Bob Duesler wasn’t as fortunate, falling to Kenzo Fujiwara of Japan in 2 close sets in the men’s 70s.

In the men’s 80s, Graydon Nichols avenged his loss of a year ago to Ward Hillier, but dropped his first set in the event, beating Hillier 67 61 62 on a chilly day. Tony Franco beat another Aussie, Doug Corbett, 76 63. They face each other in the final next.

Doubles is just starting. It’s a gloomy, cold and breezy day in Christchurch with temps not expected to reach 60!

For more results, click here: http://www.92computing.com.au/catsuperseniors07/cat.htm