Sport

De Beer digs deep to take title

Kevin Curren, the former Wimbledon and Australian finalist and big server in the 1980s, was sympathetic with the loser of the…

By PAT ROCHE
Mon Jul 28 1997 - 01:00

Kevin Curren, the former Wimbledon and Australian finalist and big server in the 1980s, was sympathetic with the loser of the Rover sponsored Irish Open tennis championship at Riverview on Saturday. Patricia Warthusch of Austria, on the opposite side of the net to his South African protege Surina de Beer, had a quality service game but lost to an opponent who successfully countered the Austrian's advantage with superb ground strokes, slice and a general ability to push the point beyond the volley.

In the event, Curren was reminded that it takes something more than a pacey serve to win Grand Slam titles. Vide Goran Ivanesevic. He was glad to accept this fact. "De Beer was a more rounded player and deserved to win".

It was ironic then to see de Beer dominate the area where the serve is of utmost importance, in the final-set tie-break.

De Beer won that decisively 7-2 but it was a spell when Wartusch's serve often betrayed her.

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An even more decisive stage of the two-and-a-half-hour match, disrupted by a 20-minute rain break, was in evidence during the fifth game of the third set as de Beer served at 0-40.

"My mind went a blank at that stage. I felt the match was gone from me and I dug in," she said. The result was that the cool South African hit service winners and an ace to get to deuce, and another service winner and an ace for the game. "I had to work harder to hold serve," she said. She was first to drop serve in the fourth game of the first set but broke back immediately to take the set 6-4.

De Beer topped up her week's earnings to $6,000 when winning the doubles in partnership with Chris Jelfs of Britain. Favourable reaction, on the facilities by visiting players, and Curren and British national squad coach, Alan Jones, enables the Riverview club to take a bow. The only disappointments from an Irish viewpoint were early dismissals for Gina Niland and Claire Curren.

RESULTS: Singles - S de Beer (RSA) bt P Wartusch (Aut) 6-4 3-6 7-6 (7-2).

Doubles - S de Beer (RSA) and C Jelfs (Brit) bt A Agustus (USA) and A Jensen (Aut) 63 4-6 6-4.