- Title: VENEZUELA: UNITED STATES TEAM TAKES DOUBLES TO WIN DAVIS CUP TIE 3-0
- Date: 14th November 1976
- Summary: 1. GV: doubles in progress and U.S. team winning point and crowd cheers. (2 shots) 0.08 2. GV: Hose serving and hitting return into net and scoreboard (2 shots) 0.21 3. GV: Stewart serving and U.S. win point as crowd watch. (2 shots) 0.27 4. GV: Steward serving and Venezuela win point and score board. (v 6-7) 0.35 5. GV: Andrew serves and
- Embargoed: 29th November 1976 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Reuters ID: LVA6OMV86G64M2ZO8R4RSXMVEUWM
- Story Text: The United States team of Sherwood Stewart and Fred McNair beat Venezuela's Humphrey Hose and Jorge Andrews in their Davis Cup doubles match in Caracas on Saturday (13 November) to give the U.S. the rubber 3-0. The U.S. pair won their match in straight sets, 8-6, 6-3, 6-4.
SYNOPSIS: Steward and McNair had been strongly favoured to complete the rout of the Venezuelan that had been started by Dick Stockton and Vitas Gerulitas. Stockton won his singles match against Andrews 6-2, 6-4, 9-7 while Gerulitas beat Hose 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 in the opening games of the rubber.
However, the Venezuelan players held their opponents in the first set. It levelled at six games all, before the Americans power play and strong service wore the Venezuelans down. They forced Andrews and Hose into errors at the net and went on to take the set 8-6.
Using Stewart height to great advantage at the net, the U.S. team swept through the second set, breaking their opponents service twice to win it 6-3.
However, the match wasn't without a ouch of controversy and McNair became involved in a heated argument with venezuelan officials over a line judge's decision.
That didn't really unsettle the American though, and he and Stewart kept their game together to take the final set 6-4.
The United States will now meet Mexico in the next round of the North American Zone Davis Cup elimination series.
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