The Indianapolis Star from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 29

CmSORS-ORAXTES HALTED AS IlAIft TOYS WITH TO RXAHEXT iierag Moves Into Clay Finals Hig I "i 1 Section. 2 The Indianapolis Star sunday, august 13, 1978 By BILL PICKETT Only one men's finalist was decided Saturday in the rain-deiayed 68th United States Open Clay Court Championships at the Indianapolis Racquet Club, and that match didn't finish until nine hours after the originally scheduled starting time and Vh hours after it actually began. Jose Higueras of Spain, the seventh tournament seed, ousted Corrado Barazzutti of Italy, the fourth seed, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, in the only match completed during the afternoon session which ran until 9:30 m. Top-seeded Jimmy Connors and Manuel Orantes of Spain, siated for the second match on the Stadium Court initially, was moved to an outer court following the second of two rain interruptions and finally got under way at 6:30. CONNORS WON THE first set, 7-5.

and led, 2-0. in the second before the sun went behind clouds to stay and darken the -court which forced suspension of play just before 8 o'clock. Tournament officials announced the match will be resumed beginning at 10:30 this morning on the Stadium Court, and that Saturday's day session tickets will Connors opened his match by losing service and Orantes went up, 2-0, on his serve and each held for the next three games. Orantes was aided in Game 4 with back-to-back aces. THE BELLEVILLE (111.) lefthander, ranked No.

2 in the world, broke Orantes at love to draw even at 3-3. Orantes went up, 5-4, with a break in Game 9 and had two set points on his next serve before Connors made two great lunging volleys for. winners to go to deuce, eventullv winning the game when Orantes hit backhand into the net. Tht comeback by Connors set the stage for sweep of the next four giving him the first set and 2-0 lead in the second set when play resumes this morning. Higueras, who Friday upset Argentina's Guillermo Vilas, the No.

2 seed, to gain the semifinal round, and Barazzutti got the day started after the first downpour. Their match began I12 hours late and they had played only 36 minutes before the skies opened for the second time in the day. When play resumed they took up where they left off with their base line game which drew out their points and hypnotized the spectators. At one time during the first set the ball crossed the net 166 times and on two other occasions the count went above 100. See CLAY, Page 2 huddled under holds up play Championships The downpour halted action after four games of the first men's singles semifinal match.

(Star Photo by Frank H. Fisse) Wild Card Dana Trumps Match In Clay Courts Title i -fit rrifli -iti irrf-'iT-i'lufii i aliniiitiliiin fflln 1 hit -1 i By BOB WILLIAMS Eighteen-year-old Dana Gilbert, of Piedmont, played her wild card like a Mississippi gambler xxv the 68th U.S. Open Clay Court tourney Saturday night, crushing Argentina's Viviana Gonzalez for the wo-mens' singles title, 6-2, 6-3. It was the youngest womens' final' in the $210,000 clay tourney's history Miss Gonzalez answers to the ripe old age of 20 in just her second year on the circuit. Miss Gilbert becomes the first amateur to grab the womens' title since Linda Tuero in 1970.

and it was the first womens' final for both players. Dana was invited to this tourney by tourney director Stan Malless as an unseeded wild card entry. SHE CAME OUT like gangbusters taking a commanding 4-0 lead in the first set and her South American opponent never really got off the carpet in the 75-minute CONNORS CUTS Top-seeded Jimmy Connors skids to the net in pursuit of one of Manuel Orantes' famous drop shots in the U.S. Open Clay Court championships at the Racquet Club Saturday. Connors had the upper hand, 7-5, 2-0, when play was suspended because of darkness.

Connors and Orantes will resume their match this morning at 10:30. (Star Photo by Jeff Arteberry) out of Miss Gilbert in what was described as one of the most aggressive women's finals in many years. Dana's forehand kept Miss Gonzalez on the run and when the latter experimented with an occasional drop shot, the California teenager demonstrated that she could come to the net when it was necessary Miss Gilbert had described herself as a hard-court player before the match with most of her experience at the junior level, but she demonstrated no weaknesses in tackling the more-eNperienced clay performer on her own surface. 1 Miss Gonzalez commented that she lost a lot ot points that she never loses and that her opponent played extremely well. "I didn't have very good continuity lor some reason and couldn't put the ball where 1 wanted it." the runner-up admitted.

"I lost some key points on shots that were just over the line, but she hit the ball really well. Maybe she hits this way all the time. I can't say because it's the first time I'd ever seen her play." MISS GILBERT will leave today for the national 18-year-old championships on grass and then comes the U.S. Open in New York. Tournev Chairman Frank E.

McKin-ney Jr of American Fletcher National Bank, the tourney sponsor, presented the awards to the winner and runner-up in special ceremonies before a near-capacitv crowd. As an amateur. Miss Gilbert' could not accept the $5,000 winners check, but Miss Gonzalez was presented with the second-place check totaling S2.500. The womens' double finals have been rescheduled for 1 p.m. today, with Barbara Hallquist, of Arcadia.

and Sheila Mclnerney, of New York, opposing Helena Amlot, of Sweden, and Helle Spar-re-Virgh, of Denmark. nervous, especially at the start of the match." MISS GONZALEZ said that she hit for about 90 minutes during the day in an attempt to prepare her for the biggest tennis match of her young lifetime, and she was uncertain about her strategy in the final match because the two players were meeting for the first time. She admitted that her UCLA coach, Gayle Godwin, advised her several times between games to slow down a bit. The loser tried to hit with Miss Gilbert at first without much success, then tried to take some of the pace off those rifle shots. Nothing seemed to take the steam Stingley Paralyzed With Spinal Injury Oakland 1AP1 New England wide receiver Darryl Stingley suffered a paralyzing spinal injury Saturday night in the Patriots' 21-7 exhibition victory over the Oakland Raiders and Coach Chuck Fairbanks said.

"We are needing a miracle to help this fine young man Stingley was in surgery for more than an hour at Eden Hospital in nearby Castro Valley. Dr. Donald Fwnk, Raiders team physician, said Stingley was in traction with a fractured dislocation of the cervical spine. He's totally paralyzed," Fairbanks reported after the game. "We didn't know how bad it was until after the game ended, and everyone was completely shaken," said reserve quarterback Tom Owen.

Oakland safety Jack Tatum. who ran almost head-on into Stingley on a play in the second period, said later, "I heard how badly he was hurt during the game. It's awfully tough, but what can I do? Injuries happen." Stingley, 26, is in his sixth year in the NFL. He played college football at Purdue. JIAfiV VmmiTED 3RD COMPETITOR Indianapolis Peace Leader Financial be honored for specil "rain" session to permit ticket holders to watch the finish of the Connors-Orantes match.

Immediately following completion of the match, however, the grounds will be cleared and only those persons holding tickets for today's session will be admitted. The men's finis are scheduled today at 3 pm. General admission tickets for the finals will go on sale at the gate at 9 a.m. seven sports, Scarborough five, the heavens had two, and one event was tied up. Four of the 15 sports concluded their activities Saturday and Indianapolis won three of those.

The Hoosiers were victorious in swimming, gymnastics and wrestling, while Scarborough took the golf outing. Indianapolis will carry leads in four other sports for today's final fare of sports basketball, chess, track and field, and horseshoes. The Canadians are tops in badminton, soccer, table tennis, and tennis. Beside the two sports rained out, there was only one that didn't produce a first- -I -if U.S. MUD COURTS Fans sit their umbrellas as a pelting rain during the U.S.

Open Clay Courts at the Racquet Club Saturday. title match. Gonzalez was bewildered from the start by the Californian's free-swinging attack, and a double-fault with the score, 5-2, wrapped up the first set. Viviana managed a last service break to close to a 3-4 score in the second set, but the momentum never swung away from the second-year UCLA player, Miss Gilbert. Both young players reached the finals with some eye-popping performances.

Miss Gonzalez upset No. 1 seeded Mima Jausovec of Yugoslavia in the first round and Miss Gilbert jolted No. 2 Virginia Kuzici of Romania in the second round. The new women's champion confessed later that she had been nervous all day long, waiting for the championship match. The two finalists took the court at 10 p.m., two hours late, waiting for completion of the Jose Higueras-Corrado Barazzutti men's singles semifinal which was interrupted for four hours by an alternoon rain.

"I'm not used to that much of a crowd playing for the national title." the Cahfornian explained. "I was really have won the sport. In wrestling competition at Scecina High School, Indianapolis continued its unbeaten streak in that sport, beating Scarborough, 157-154. The Canadians won the juniors portion. 69-67, however Indianapolis lost just three matches in the seniors division to carry it past Scarborough.

Also, Rick Bussell and Matt Langenbacher remained unbeaten through five years of Peace Games competition, the only two to do so. "They (Scarborough) are a lot better than they were last year, a lot tougher," Indianapolis wrestling chairman Mark Steinmetz said. "They've made some tre mendous improvement over last year. Our kids wrestled really well, but this is our weak year because there isn't much excitement at home. We have more interest when we go up there.

Steinmetz counterpart trom Scar borough, John Lister, attributed his team's strong showing to an eight-week, two-night-a-week, training camp tor the Games. "We had a qualification tourney to get wrestlers iti and interested," Lister said. Then we eot them committed to the camp and it helped a lot. The wrestling program in Canada is Duiiaing ana mings should balance out as the coaching im proves. They have excellent coaching here." Although the gap is closing in wrestling.

Indianapolis continues to suffer in badminton which is a Canadian national sport. The Hoosiers trailed after the first day, 262-194, winning only two matches the entire day. Leo Cox and Buzz Biszantz in the men's 40 and over division, registered Indianapolis' only two victories, doing so in straight games. But the best match had to be the hour and 45 minute duel between Steve Race of Indianapolis and Dave Holt of Scarborough. Holt finally emerged with the win in three games, 17-16, 16-17, 18-15.

"Most of our people try to learn the game in four months," Indianapolis chairman Rick Langford said. "You just can't do that. Up there, they play four niehts a week and sometimes seven. The adult members are pretty strong and the kids are enthusiastic, but they don't stay with it long enough. In chess, iust added last year, In dianapolis had won 26 of 36 games played Saturday, in the age u-u group, Indianapolis pulled a complete turnaround See PEACE, Page 2.

By DAVE BENNER Indianapolis, for now the leader, and Scarborough, for now the follower, went at each other Saturday as the 1978 Peace Games began at various sites around the city. However, the Games had an uninvited, but not unexpected, third participant on opening day the heavens. Two separate downpours, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, washed out Saturday's competition in baseball and Softball and delayed three others during the course of the day. But the rain couldn't stop everything, and after the first day of competition, the standings had Indianapolis on top in Uy 'k Rain Cuts Shrine-Seniors Golf Classic To 36 Holes day leader and that was volleyball. The Scarborough youth teams (male and female age 14-19) swept the Indianapolis crew in their two matches, but the Hoosiers turned the tables in the male and female 20 and up divisions with four wins in four attempts.

Scarborough won the golf with an interesting finish. Mary Evelyn of Scarborough defeated Indianapolis' Mary Hession 1-up with an eagle-birdie-birdie-par string on the last four holes. That gave the Canadians a 31-29 victory in the competition. Had Hession survived that blitz and had Scarborough's Larry Longo not hit a 20-foot putt on the 18th hole to beat Randy Scott, Indianapolis would By BILL BENNER The only stroking at the Speedway Golf Course Saturday may have been backstroking as rain took a decided lead in the Indianapolis Shrine Golf Classic. The skies opened up twice, first causing a 4-hour delay, then suspending the second round altogether turning the $50,000 Seniors Professional Golf, event into a shortened 36-hole show.

And since a rain-delayed opening 18 was completed Friday, that means today's concluding round will amount to a crapshoot. Six players are tied for the lead and 29 are within five shots of the pace. The standard established Friday was 2-under-par 70, shot by Sam Snead, Julius Boros, Tommy Bolt, George Bayer, Al Besselink and Tex Simon. One shot behind are Jack Fleck and Charlie Sifford. Two back are Freddie Haas and Bob Erickson.

SATURDAY'S TEE TIMES will be in effect today with the group of Boros, Lew Gifford and Henry Ransom showing the way at 10 a.m. Which is precisely what that three some did Saturday, but only until the fourth hole. A thundershower with heavy rain moved over the area shortly past 11, leaving casual water virtually everywhere and inundating several greens. Play wasn't resumed until 3:15, but could nave been renewed much sooner hadn't this been a seniors event. The players depend on the use pf carts, which pro Rollie Schroeder and greenskeeper Willard Thomas wouldn't permit until 3:15 (and then only in the rough) even though a few of the pros were grumDling.

And there was a lively debate between Tournament Chairman Bud Owen and player representative Willie Barber con 'See SHRINE. PACE 2 Li I3 i 1L la. I 1. 11 CHAMPIONSHIP FORM Dana Gilbert shows the form that brought her a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Viviana Gonzalez and the U.S. Open Clay Courts women's singles championship at the Racquet Club Saturday night.

(Star Photo) I 11 1 1 1 1 1 I SPORTS I JVDEA Phils flomjk Past Pirates Page 3 Jene Harness 11 Scoreboard 12 Speaking of Cars 10 fterord Winner Page 5 Speaking of Speed 8 Sports On TV TOOr TENNIt Finals of Wendv Classic. Channel JO. I m. BASEBALL Cincinnati San Diego Channel 1 TENNIS- Live coverage CM U.S. Clay Courts Channel 8 3 ni SOCCER European action Channel 4 m.

AUTO RACING SeUring action Cnannel 4. p.m. TRACK, FIELD- AAU Junior Olympics. Channel 6 10 30 SOCCER North American League olavo'ts Channel A 10 30 SOLITARY VIGIL One lonely storekeeper, protected by an I remained at his post at Speedway Saturday despite heavy I rain which forced cancellation of the second round of the Vine-Seniors C-Hf Classic. (Star Photo) .7.