Articles

1957 / April 7

Men's singles 1st rd : Ph Washer d R Anid (Leb) ; Gheorghe Viziru (Rum-expatr) d Nagi Pharaon (Leb) ; Richardson d Elie Attieh (Leb) ; Ernesto Reyes (Mex) d Elie Aboukhaled (Leb); F Sohol (Norw) d Jo Jabbour (Leb); N Gibson d Robert Farah (Leb); Antonio Palafox d Emile Yazbeck (Leb) ; W Woodcock (A) d Roy Karaoglan (Leb); Peter Scholl d Nadim Hajjar (Leb); Antonio Maggi (It) d Kamal Mobarak (Eg) ; Samir Khoury (Leb) d Dimitrov (Bulg); 2nd rd : F Kovaleski d S Khoury;

3d rd : Ham Richardson (US) d Istvan Gulyas (Hung) 57 60 63; Fred Kovaleski (US) d Viziru (Rum) 64 60; ¼ f : Richardson d Neill Gibson (A) 63 63; Philippe Washer (Belg) d Roger Becker (GB) 64 63; Warren Woodcock (A) d Kovaleski 63 62; P Scholl (Germ) d Sven Davidson (Sweden) 75 63;

½ f : Washer d Richardson 62 62; Woodcock d Scholl 62 62;

Finals : Philippe Washer (Belg) d Warren Woodcock (Australia) 16 97 62 62;

Ladies singles ½ f : Edda Bulding (Germ) d Holvoet 61 64; Suzie Kormoczy (Hung) d Ilse Buding (Germ) 62 62; F: Mrs S Kormoczy (Hung) d Edda Buding (Germ) 46 62 62;

Men' s doubles ¼ f : Richardson-Becker d Maggi(It)-Gulyas 63 75; Huber-Scholl d Davidson-Washer 63 36 75; ½ f : Richardson-Becker d A Palafox-E Reyes (Mex) 97 46 62; Huber-Scholl d Woodcock-Gibson (A) 63 36 75; Final ; Ham Richardson(US)-R Becker (GB) d A Huber (Austria)-Scholl(Germ) 64 62;

Mixed doubles ½ f : I.Buding-E Reyes d Kormoczy-Gulyas 46 61 60; E Buding-Viziru (Rumania) d Vera Mattar-E Attieh (Leb) 61 61; Final : Miss Eda Buding-Viziru d E Reyes- Miss Ilse Buding 97

• The Swedish favorite, Sven Davidson, was suspected by the Lebanese Fed authorities to have "tanked"his match vs the modest Scholl, and a formal complaint was addressed to the Swedish Fed and the ITF. The motive of the complaint must have been a hefty under the table"cash guarantee to the player to agree to play in Beirut. But Davidson, who will win Roland-Garros two months later (having also been the runner up in 1955 to Trabert and in 1956 to Lew Hoad) and was a world top tenner regularly during these years. also lost one week later to … thus showing he had a genuine temporary "down" in his career.


• S Kormoczy will win the French title at Roland Garros in 1958 vs Miss Bloomer, and lose the 1959 final to Christine Truman of England.


• Hamilton Richardson was a true amateur, playing only a few weeks a year. Nevertheless he remained a world Top tenner for … years, won 20 of his 22 Davis Cup matches for the USA, was ranked no 1 in the US in 1956 and 1958, all this despite a juvenile diabetes disease against which he fought bravely through all his life. Richardson died at the age of 73 of complications of his diabetes condition. One other US player succeeded in reaching top level in tennis despite diabetes, the famous Bill Talbert (40's and early 50's) who won 4 US doubles titles and one Roland Garros (1950) plus a few mixed Slam titles.