TENNIS in DEPTH.

There were full-scale fisticuffs and the Miami-Dade Police were called to the courts as the Orange Bowl championship overheated in dramatic fashion.

The argument? Whether the Americans or the Russians had booked a particular court. Five players, two from the United States, two from Russia and one from the Bahamas (who apparently tried to act as a peacemaker) were thrown out of the tournament by Brad Taylor, the referee, and investigations by the two federations will follow.

The trigger came when two doubles matches, one involving Campbell Johnson and Shaun Bernstein, of the US, and another with Victor Baluda and Richard Muzaev, of Russia, had to be moved to a court with lights when darkness fell.

When the players arrived at the same court, strong words were allegedly exchanged, which spilt over into a general mêlée that also involved Rodney Carey, of the Bahamas. Johnson, Baluda and Muzaev, were also defaulted from the singles.

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