PERUVIAN Alex Olmedo, 23-year-old son of a tennis club groundsman, today won the Wimbledon men’s singles title, the most coveted individual honour in tennis.
The wiry, coffee-coloured 6ft. athlete, who plays for the United States, beat 19-year-old Rod Laver (Australia) 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in a final which though not great was always interesting.
With a fine display of controlled all-court tennis on the centre court, Olmedo won in 72 minutes to emphasize his position as the best amateur in the game. He conceded only two sets in battling through seven rounds to win the world’s toughest tennis tournament.
Olmedo made Wimbledon history by becoming the first South American to carry off the title. He thus set the seal on a meteoric rise to tennis stardom which began last December when he played the major role in helping the United States to regain the Davis Cup from Australia, and shortly afterwards won the Australian singles title.
The wiry Peruvian, known as the “ chief” comes from Arequipa. high in the Andes, but he developed his tennis during his four years at the University of Southern California, where he is studying business administration.
Laver, attempting to become the first unseeded player to win the title, fought gamely. But in the face of Olmedo’s tremendous pressure, he was never able to control his potent ground-strokes to the same degree as he showed in winning his 87-game marathon semi-final against the American Barry Mackay.
{{/usCountry}}Laver, attempting to become the first unseeded player to win the title, fought gamely. But in the face of Olmedo’s tremendous pressure, he was never able to control his potent ground-strokes to the same degree as he showed in winning his 87-game marathon semi-final against the American Barry Mackay.
{{/usCountry}}GAME FIGHTER
However, though Olmedo always remained on top, the redhaired Australian left-hander never gave up and twice saved match points in the final game. Olmedo clinched the third match-point by firing across a scorching volley which hit the youngster on the seat of his shorts as he spun round in midcourt to avoid it.
Amid thunderous applause from the capacity crowd which included Princess Margaret and the Duchess of Kent, Olmedo ran up to the net and placed an arm consolingly around the neck of the Australian, whose turn must surely come sooner or later.
Olmedo covered the court with, the speed of a panther and his anticipation was uncanny. He varied the pace of his service skillfully and was able to pull out an unstoppable ‘ace’ of several vital points. One of his most telling shots was a beautifully-judged job just high enough to avoid Laver’s reach. Time and again, he forced the net-rushing Australian back with it and more often than not won the point.
Laver was under pressure from the start, losing his service in the opening game. He trailed 1-5, but then rallied to 3-5 by capturing Olmedo’s service for the only time in the match. But the Peruvian, served out the set with a love game on his next delivery.
Laver’s service was again under pressure at the start of the second set. But the Australian held firm and got to within an inch of gaining a 4-2 lead. That was the margin by which an Olmedo smash went inside the baseline to save a game-point. Olmedo broke through in the seventh game mainly on Laver’s volley errors and the Australian lost service again in the ninth game when a double-fault put him in trouble.
It was also a double-fault, his fifth of the match, which led to Laver conceding the only service break in the third set. It came in the tenth game- after he had held on gamely until 4-5.
OUTSTANDING AMATEUR
While not a great champion of the stature of a Kramer or a Sedgman, Olmedo is unquestionably the outstanding amateur today. Even before Wimbledon, he had received glittering offers to turn professional if he won the title. Sooner or later, he seemed destined to join the 1958 champion. Ashley Cooper, in the professional ranks.
Afterwards Olmedo said he had no definite offer to turn professional. “I am going back to school in the US and to play in the Davis Cup.” he said.
Laver had some consolation for his singles defeat when he paired with American Darlene Hard to reach the mixed doubles final with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-2 win over Billy Knight (Britain) and Yola Ramirez (Mexico), holders of the French mixed title.
Miss Hard faces a heavy programme on Wimbledon’s final day tomorrow. The dashing Californian from Montebello, who had already reached the women’s singles final, also qualified for the last round of the women’s doubles.
She and fellow-American Jeanne Arth overwhelmed Sandra Reynolds and Renee Schuurman. South African holders of the Australian and French doubles titles 6-0, 6-2 in the semi-final.
Mrs Beverley Fleitz (US) and Britain’s Christine Truman, are the other women’s doubles finalists, having beaten the Mexican pair, Yola Romirez and Rosa Maria Reyes 8-6, 6-1 today.