Today in SA sports history: October 4
1974 — Frew McMillan and Bob Hewitt beat Adriano Panatta and Paolo Bertolucci in straight sets to give SA an unassailable 3-0 lead over Italy in their Davis Cup semifinal at Ellis Park. Hewitt, a fiery character on the court, was twice warned for his outbursts by the match referee, Otto Hauser of Argentina. A third warning could have got Hewitt disqualified. The SA duo won 7-5 6-4 10-8. Earlier, Ray Moore beat Panatta in the second singles match 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-4 to add to Hewitt’s five-set triumph over Antonio Zugarelli, 4-6 6-0 9-7 4-6 6-1. The victory was as good as winning the final because SA’s scheduled opponent, India, refused to play against SA as part of its general boycott protesting apartheid policies. One of the Indian players was Vijay Amritraj, a regular on the world tour who acted in the James Bond movie Octopussy. He played in the 1987 Davis Cup final, won 5-0 by Sweden. ..
