Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), Wednesday 30 August 1967, page 36
Wimbledon pro
title to Laver
LONDON, Tuesday (AAP). - Red-haired Queenslander Rod Laver won his third Wimbledon title yesterday ?- this time the first world professional championship to be played
on the centre court.
In the final, Haver de-j
fealed Ken Rosewall, of New South Wales, who thus lost a final on Wimbledon's centre court for the third time.
The scores, 6-2, 6-2, 1210, accurately reflect the trend of the match.
In the first two sets, Laver was the cool master - his service greatly superior, his placements and his volleying immacu
late.
Rosewall's game would not click and he seemed to have no weapon to breach the top-seeded Laver's con
centration.
Frequently he shook his head, rapped his racquet on the ground and looked up at the cloudless sky as if to wish a cloudburst to halt play and give him time to
recover form.
Rosewall recovered anyway, and the third set
proved to be one of Wimbledon's greatest.
The breakthrough came in the fourth, game, and it was Rosewall who made it, taking advantage of an apparent lapse in Laver's
concentration.
At 5-4 Rosewall had three set points, but Laver suddenly angled three forehands out of his rival's reach and eventually broke
back.
Laver broke through again to lead 7-6 and Rosewall, who had doublefaulted on 0-30, threw away his racquet in disgust.
But the next game produced probably the best tennis of the two-hour match, and it was Rosewall who produced it.
A crashing return of service forced Laver to hit long, then Laver netted after Rosewall miraculously returned an ace-like delivery into the corner.
Laver missed a volley, and Rosewall ended an exciting rally by winning the point and the game on a
netcord.
Games went with service until the 21st, with the capacity 14,000 crowd roaring in excitement.
Then Laver's consistency was rewarded with a breakthrough as Rosewall seemed to wilt a little in the 75-degree heat
In the 22nd game, Laver had two match points on 40/15 and 40/30, and another on advantage.
| Rosewall
saves all
Rosewall saved them all. Laver regained a second advantage on a questionable linecall, and this time he made no mistake.
Laver will receive SA7.500 first prize money land the honour of being Wimbledon's first professional champion.
Rosewall will get a SA5,000 consolation prize.
Veteran Pancho Gonzales, of the United States, and .Spaniard Andres Gimeno showed superior combination to upset Laver and countryman Fred Stolle in the doubles final, 6-4,
14-12.
Tn a play-off for third place in the singles, Gimeno proved too nimble for Australia's Lew Hoad. who. although he showed flashes of the form that won his two Wimbledon amateur titles, could not match Gimeno's faster allround game.
Gimeno won 6-3, 6-3.