The Eastern Women’s hardcourt championships in Woodbury, New York was a far cry from the French Open. The growth of pro tennis had seen many once-prominent regional events fall in status. A tournament that might have once attracted the best players in the area–perhaps a national top-tenner or two–was now limited to women who lacked the time, inclination, or talent for the pro circuit.
This effectively turned many smaller events into showcases for rising juniors. Mary Carillo, a 16-year-old left-hander from nearby Douglaston, chose the Eastern to make her adult debut. Among 16-and-unders, she was ranked fifth in the east. She had little trouble with the step up: Unseeded in her first open bracket, she beat third-seeded Adria Price in the quarters, then straight-setted the ambidextrous second seed, Sue Allen, in the semis.
Moving through the draw at the same pace was another junior, 18-year-old Ruta Gerulaitis. Armed with a forehand of “unladylike power,” Gerulaitis was more accustomed to adult competition than Carillo, though she still played junior events as well. Ruta’s mother, Aldona, appreciated her daughter’s relaxed demeanor on court. Mrs. Gerulaitis sometimes had to leave her son’s matches when 19-year-old Vitas lost his temper.
On June 2nd, Carillo and Gerulaitis met for the Eastern title. It was a bruising battle, played mostly from the baseline. Ruta seized the first set, but the younger woman outlasted her. “She was steadier,” Gerulaitis said of her opponent. “She never tired.” Carillo took the match, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Both finalists did double duty that week. Carillo played the 16-and-under draw, while Gerulaitis entered the 18s. Mary had little time to celebrate, as she capped her victory in the adult final with a preliminary match in the junior event later the same day. She won that one, too.
But neither woman could sustain their momentum for another day. Gerulaitis lost the 18-and-under final to Barbara Goldman, and Carillo faltered in the 16s, losing 6-1, 6-1 to Debbie Campbell. Perhaps Campbell was particularly motivated: It wasn’t every day you could take aim at the adult champion in a junior match the next day.
Mary’s mother, Terry, was content to focus on the positive. “I’m going to have outrageous phone bills,” she said as her daughter lifted the trophy. “I’m going to call everybody, people I haven’t seen in ten years. I’m going to say, ‘How have you been? Oh, by the way, have you read your newspaper lately?'”
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Across the Atlantic, the French Open sputtered its way toward a conclusion. Rain wiped out parts of several days of play, so on Saturday the 2nd–one day away from the tournament’s scheduled conclusion–the men were still wrapping up the fourth round. Björn Borg, who had won on Tuesday, didn’t return to the court until Saturday, when he lost to Adriano Panatta. The men’s final would be pushed back to Tuesday.
The women were only one day behind, thanks in part to the extreme efficiency of Chris Evert. Evert had yet to lose a set, and she finished off her semi-final opponent, Françoise Dürr, in 37 minutes. Dürr managed just one game. Evert would finally face Margaret Court, who survived a tougher test against Evonne Goolagong, coming through her match, 6-2, 7-6.
As players were belatedly eliminated from the Roland Garros draw, they hurried straight to Rome. The first Italian results came in on this day as well, before the French quarter-finals had even begun. Organizers at the Italian Open had a tournament to run, and they weren’t about to wait just because it was raining in Paris.
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This post is part of my series about the 1973 season, Battles, Boycotts, and Breakouts. Keep up with the project by checking the TennisAbstract.com front page, which shows an up-to-date Table of Contents after I post each installment.
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