SWEDEN: TENNIS -- ARGENTINA'S VILAS BEATS SWEDEN'S BORG TO TOP "BLUE GROUP" OF COMMERCIAL UNION MASTERS TOURNAMENT.

Record ID: 448943

  • Title: SWEDEN: TENNIS -- ARGENTINA'S VILAS BEATS SWEDEN'S BORG TO TOP "BLUE GROUP" OF COMMERCIAL UNION MASTERS TOURNAMENT.
  • Date: 5th December 1975
  • Summary: 1. TV Vilas receives trophy from King of Sweden for last year's win 0.06 2. SV & LV Crowd and scoreboard at six games to five Vilas leading in first set (2 shots) 0.11 3. LV Borg serves and loses point and set 0.27 4. SV Umpire 0.32 5. TV Borg serves and wins match point and second set after rally 0.48 6. LV PAN Crowd TO scoreboard at I-all 0.56 7. TV Vilas serves and loses point 1.10 8. TV Royal box applauding 1.15 9. TV Vilas serves and wins point after long rally 1.34 10. SV Umpire 1.38 11. TV Match point Vilas serves and wins - players shake hands at net 2.00 Initials BB/0130 NPJ/MR/BB/0145 TENNIS Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 20th December 1975 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN
  • Country: Sweden
  • Reuters ID: LVAEPT1AXAJDF7JJB40ALDUVEEJP
  • Story Text: In the round-robin series of the Commercial Union Masters Tournament in Stockholm, Sweden, on Thursday (4 December), the 23 year-old Argentine left-hander, Guillermo Vilas, came out top of the "Blue Group" when he beat the young Swedish star, Bjorn Borg, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1.

    Fortunes fluctuated during the match, which was something of an anti-climax for the record 4,500 crowd who had been hoping for some fireworks -- as well as a victory for Borg on his home ground. Both players had already qualified for the semi-final stage of the week-long tournament, together with Arthur Ashe of the United States.

    Vilas and Borg are close friends and regularly practice together. In the match they played as though they knew every move the other would make.

    After narrowly taking the first set, Vilas appeared to be coasting to victory as he moved 4-Love up in the second. But the Argentinean became careless and Borg delighted the crowd as he reeled off six successive games to level at one set each.

    In the decisive set however, Vilas steadied himself again and 19 year-old Borg, wilting under pressure after losing his service in the fourth game to trail 1-3, faded right out of the match.

    With Ashe and Natase coming through the "White Group", the semi-finals of the knock-out part of the competition will see Ashe playing Borg, and Nastase against Vilas.

    SYNOPSIS: In Sweden, King Carl Gustav presented Argentina's Guillermo Vilas with the trophy he won at last year's Commercial Union Masters Tennis Tournament. The presentation took place just before Vilas's game against Sweden's Bjorn Borg in this year's tournament -- held in Stockholm. In this short rally Borg lost his serve and first set to Vilas, seven-five.

    Nevertheless, fortunes fluctuated during the match, though it was something of an anti-climax for the record crowd of four thousand, five hundred who were hoping for a victory for the Swedish boy. Their hopes rose as he won the second set, four-six.

    With one set all, the home crowd could sit back and enjoy a match where everything was to play for. Vilas and Borg are close friends and they practice regularly together. In the match they played as though they knew every move the other would make.

    Vilas, who had taken the first set by a narrow margin, grew careless in the second which Borg won after winning six successive games. But in the deciding set, the twenty-three year old Vilas steadied himself and began to put pressure on nineteen year-old Borg.

    When it came to match point for the Argentinean with his serve to come, Borg had wilted after losing his service in the fourth game, and had then faded out completely. The win made Vilas the top player in the Blue Group. Both he and Borg were assured of places in the semi-finals, where they were to meet Arthur Ashe and Ilie Nastase.
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