European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 13, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday september 13,1977 the stars and stripes Page 21 Al Lac til Wirt to p�p"1 � Argentine tops defending v i Lub inc Victor Champ Connors for . Open title by Steve Wilstein Forest Hills ., up an Era ended with a touch of greatness sunday when Argentina s gentle Guillermo Vilas won his 46th straight Clay court match by upsetting defending Champion Jimmy con nors 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-0, to win the last . Open Tennis championship at the Westside Tennis club. Connors the Only Man since Bill til Denin the 1920s to go to four straight finals had a look of disbelief on his face when the match ended in confusion after three hours 17 minutes. Connors bid to join Tilden and Fred Perry As the Only men to win at least three . Championships was All but gone and he was fighting to save his service in the final game after falling behind love-40. Connors hit a forehand to the Baseline which Vilas returned but which was Sig naked out. Play continued but fans who saw the Call swarmed the court and lifted the popular 25-year-old Vilas onto their Shoul Ders. Connors 25, from Belleville 111., left the court in a bitter mood amidst the charging spectators. He reached out to swing at a fan who ran at him and was pulled apart. Who s next Connors screamed. Vilas the French open Champion who had won six straight tournaments coming into the . Open waved his arms and Racket in the air and Connors walked slowly to the Side. I m very Happy said Vilas who has published Well received free verse and disregarded As one of the More intellectual sunday s open results by United press International . Open Tennis championships men s singles finals Guillermo Vilas Argentina beat Jimmy Connors Belle Ville iii., 2-6,6-3, 7-6,6-0. Women s doubles final Martina Navratilova Betty stove beat Renee Richards Bettyann Stuart 6-1, 7-6. Mixed doubles final Betty stove Frew Mcmillan beat Billie Jean King Vitas Gerulaitis 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Hall of Fame championship Fred Stolle Lew Hoad beat Vic Seixas Bob Howe 6-3, 6-3. Playing pros. This tournament does t count if you re a runner up. You have to win it. I knew it would be very Tough. My main concern is to be number one and i want to dedicate this to my country a , the leading Money Winner on the tour this year earned $33,000 for the Victory to give him a total for the year of $330,812. Connors who received the $16,500 runner up prize hurried from the stadium with his Mother Gloria and coach Panch Osegura and left in a limousine without talk ing to newsmen. On the last Point i saw it out Vilas said. It was so noisy i did t know what was happening. Some of the fans shouted that it was out. I turned to the Linesman and he said it was out. Vilas said he could understand Connors disappointment. The pressure was on him because he has t won a major title this year Vilas said. The top seeded team of Martina Navratilova and Betty stove captured the women s doubles championship sunday continued on Page 25 courageous towed in Early As final practice is Cut Short . Open King Guillermo Vilas wears his trophy like a Crown by Gary kale Newport . Up Ted Turner curtailed courageous final practice ses Sion sunday cutting Short a planned five hour sail after 90 minutes and calling for an Early Tow to wharf Side. No reason was announced for Turner s decision to bring in his $1.5 million 12 you con take this crowd and stuff it Nice kid won it Nasty one did t by Hills A the Nice kid did it. The Nasty kid got a she lacking picked up his armful of racquets and slammed not even waiting for his $16,500 Check. You can take this crowd and stuff it. I am going to Monte Carlo to live said beaten Jimmy Connors the bad boy from Belleville 111., Rushing to a waiting limousine outside the West Side Tennis club. Connors was gone without a thank you or a courteous Bow to his opponent the officials and the crowd less than 10 minutes after being beaten by Argentina s Guillermo Vilas 2-6, 6-3, 7-6, 6-0 in the men s singles final of the . Open Tennis championships. This was Adieu to the old Concrete stadium at Forest Hills scene of the . Nationals for 52 of the tournament s % years and the fiery Connors left it the same Way he had lived it with a curse on his lips and a Lack of Grace. There was a sadness to the scene amidst All the jubilation Over Vilas Victory because Connors despite his bad court manners had proved himself one of the guts est and most formidable players inthe game. The final Center court match was 3 hours 17 minutes of High drama played before a Bull ring crowd of More than 12, 000 and a National television audience of millions. From the beginning the place crackled with the kind of tension that precedes one of Muhammad Ali s heavyweight championship fights. Connors the defending Champion was the first to arrive accompanied by his Mother Gloria two Tennis pros Pancho Segura and lome Kuhle and Doug Hen Derson who serves As a bodyguard. Mrs. Connors who had taken Jimmy from his Belleville Home to California to have him moulded into a Tennis Champion was Pale and nervous. Excuse i can t talk now she kept saying to those who approached her. I must look after Jimmy s Segura is the Copper skinned ecuadorian who is credited with fashioning con nors powerful game. The bearded Kuhle of Las vegas is remembered for his work with Bobby Riggs before the Billie Jean King appeared with nine racquets under his Arm watched Over by Ion Siriac an awesome mustachioed Man who serves As both coach and . Connors in a White suit sat at court Side alongside Segura and Kuhle. Some 15 feet away Siriac glowering Chain smoking kept grinding half smoked cigarettes into the was a furious match one Tennis buffs never will forget. The Argentine and the feisty american Champion went at each other like a pair of ring sluggers con nors his Flat forehand and wicked two listed backhand shots streaking Over the net like bullets Vilas unleashing fusillade of spinning backhands and looping fore hands off a Racquet Strung tight As a Board. He was hitting rockets at me Vilas said of Connors. The crowd quickly established its preference. The demonstrative fans sheathed their nationalism and began pouring out their lungs for the 25-year-old South Amer ican Gaucho who composes sensitive poems in his spare time. Connors notorious As a court villain Given to bickering with umpires profanity and obscene gestures to the crowd kept his volatile temperament under a tight Leash on this particular the people s memories were too Connors missed a desperate fore hand losing the decisive set at love the crowd surged onto the Center court hoisted Vilas to their shoulders As they might some conquering Matador and spurned the restraints of the private police. Tennis had moved into the 20th Century. The Day of Stuffy restraints and fan Deco rum were gone. This was a foot stomping tugging tearing pro sports crowd. I wanted to speak to Jimmy Vilas apologized afterwards. But somebody grabbed my headband. I did not want them to grab my head too meter America s cup yacht which opens defense of the venerated sea trophy at 12 30 . Not tuesday against the vessel Australia. Aerial photos showed the courageous under Tow with All its sails Down. But no one from the Turner Camp would com ment. Both yachts were to undergo final physical examinations monday shortly after Sunrise to have their Bottoms scraped sanded and compounded. Turner the 38-year-old millionaire owner of the Atlanta braves and Noel Robin of challenging Australia used the Day to plan opening strategies for the Best of seven series the United states has never lost. Turner congratulated skipper Ted Hood of the . Yacht Independence after the Sailmaker Defeated France ii sunday in a Consolation race for this year s beaten 12-meter Craft. Independence crossed the finish line with a 5-minute, one second advantage Over the French boat to win a trophy awarded by Newport s Ida Lewis yacht Are reports that australian Syndi Cate manager Alan Bond May go to lighter sails in the country s fifth Challenge since 1962."one thing for certain Australia is a fast boat in Light air said Lee Loomis manager of the Kings Point foundation that campaigned both courageous and in dependence. Australia probably will Start the series As a 2-1 underdog. Few observers believe the boat can race with courageous. Turner is a former Yachtsman of the year who believes courageous can win in a four race sweep. Bond refused to predict the out come. We think we have a fast boat. We have come a Long Way and we think Well be competitive Bond said. Turner has a distinct advantage since most of the 11-Man courageous Crew have been sailing together for a decade. They flunked out in 1974 As a beaten contender in the trials
