Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1963-07-14
Unseeded Neff'
Reaches Final
In MA Tennis |
BY STEVE GUBACK
Star Staff Writer

NORFOLK. Va, July 10. j
Amazing 4l-year-old Phil Neff,
a real old-fashioned longshot,
battled his way into the finals
of the Middle Atlantic Lawn
Tennis Associations champion
ship tournament for the first
time here today and surprised
even himself.
Coming from way back in the
first set, the Washington veter-
an tripped John santrock of
Nitro, w. Va. rs, aS, to
move into Sundays title match
against Bitsy Harrison, the
towering, 6-foot-7 University of
North Carolina ace. Harrison
his big serve booming, drubbed
Buddy Goeltz of Bethesda,
rs, 90.
That Harrison, the second
seed, has gotten this far sur
prises no one. But Neff. an
attorney for the Interstate
Commerce Commission. wasn't
seeded, isn't listed among
MALTA's top is, and hadn't
had a major victory in more
than two years.
Il came here expecting to 90
to the beach," Neff laughed.
Somehow Escapes
To win, Neff fought off three
set points in the first set. He
was down, So and 400, but
somehow wiggled off the hook
and then came Storming back
against a foe who never man
aged to recover fully.
Using all his savvy. Neff
first destroyed Santrock's
rhythm with his old-fashioned !
spin-and-slice game, which is
ideally suited for the clay
courts here. Then when he had (
the young collegian from the
University of Miami over-hit- .
ting badly and Tuning at every
error, Neff smartly went to the
net and began volleying in
winners against his foes err ]
ratio passing shots.
1t was a clever, workman !
like job by the old tennis
war-horse who took off IL {
pounds and switched to a
lighter racket to launch his /
late-season comeback. Earlier /
this season he had been beaten
by a 15-year-old and that
started him thinking. His !
stamina never was questioned
after he went three hours and
20 minutes to win a third ,
round match Friday.
After winning five straight
games in the first set, Neff |
never trailed in the second and
broke Santrock's service twice In
the final three games to win ,
going away. /,
GOeltz Smoked Off
The possibility of an all
Washington area final here at /
the picturesque Norfolk Yacht
and Country Club went up in I
smoke when Harrison, his {
power-game red hot, turned .
back Goeltz in q battle be-
tween a pair of net-rushers.
Goeltz, son of the tennis pro
at the Columbia Country Club,
couldn't match Harrison's big
serve, and that was the DIFF
ference. In the first set alone,
there were Is serves in Har-
rison's six service games that
Goeltz couldn't get back in
play.
Harrison never trailed in the
match. Goeltz' best chance
came after he strapped back
from a 81 deficit into a SIS (
deadlock in the first set. Twice
Goeltz had advantage for a |
service break in the 18th game, (
but he Melted a backhand and :
failed on a service return. Har-
rison broke through in the 18th
game.
In the second set, Harrison ]
rushed off to a 81 lead and ]
it was over quickly.
Goeltz came back and ,
teamed with Fred McNair of {
Bethesda to reach the finals Of
the doubles with a Ga, Ga
triumph over George Heilig
and Jack Rixey of Norfolk. ]
They'll play Harrison and
Spotty Hall of Richmond, who ]
edged John Oettinger and Ber- /,
nard Segall of Portsmouth, ]
10, "a, 6-3, in the other '
semifinals.