Tennis: Pain in Spain

The curious thing about Spain’s defeat of the U.S. in last week’s Davis Cup interzone semifinal was that it wasn’t even an upset. True, Spain had never exactly been a world power in tennis, but it did boast the world’s best clay-court player in Manuel Santana, 27, a tenacious, skillful shotmaker who had won his last eight Davis Cup singles matches without losing a set. And when the visiting Americans got a look at the copper-colored center court at Barcelona’s Real Club de Tenis, they knew they were in trouble. Slowed even more than normal by heavy rains, the soft surface took the bite out of the serves and volleys, made smashes as easy to handle as lobs. “The name of the game here is grub,” complained the U.S.’s Frank Froehling. “Every point is a war. You can’t put the ball away.”

The only real doubt about Spain’s chances centered on Juan Gisbert, a young (22) Barcelona law student and tennis unknown, whose one claim to fame was a victory over Teammate Santana in a minor tournament last spring. Gisbert wiped out that doubt by polishing U.S.’s No. 1 player, Dennis Ralston, in last week’s first match−breaking Ralston’s service seven times in a row for a 3-6, 8-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory. Ralston took his defeat with typically bad grace, complaining, among other things, about the court, the heat, and noisy Spanish fans. U.S. Team Captain George MacCall put the blame where it belonged. “Denny talks to many people,” he said, “and listens to no one. He has his own ideas about doing things, and his performances in important matches prove him wrong.”

When Santana clobbered Froehling in straight sets to give Spain a 2-0 lead, the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Next day Santana teamed with Jose Luis Arilla against Ralston and Clark Graebner in doubles−and, once again, Ralston went wobbly at the critical stage. The Americans won the first two sets, blew the next two, and then, leading 5-2 in the last set, Dennis bungled three straight volleys. The Spaniards pulled out the set 11 -9 to sew up the best of five series the quickest way possible with three victories in a row. A split of the last two singles matches made the final score 4-1. Now only India or Japan stood between Spain and the Challenge Round in Australia−and, just maybe, the Davis Cup itself.