by Bill Nichols

    Chris Evert against Evonne Goolagong or Margaret Court facing Billie Jean King wold be the greatest match-ups in women's tennis and with the luck of the draw they will take place next July in Cleveland.

    Bob Malaga, Executive Director of the United States Lawn Tennis Association, announced yesterday that the U. S. and Australia will begin women's team competition in 1972 and that Cleveland has been named as the permanent site of the matches in the U. S.  The competition will be comparable to the Wightman Cup matches, held between the U. S. girls and their counterparts from Great Britain.

    WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT Cleveland is assured of hosting an international women's event every year.  The U.S.-Australian competition will be held here in even-numbered years and the Wightman matches will continue to be here in odd-numbered years.  The 1973 matches are tentatively set for Sydney.

    This is the greatest thing since the Davis Cup Challenge Round of 1964," Malaga declared yesterday.  "Cleveland has the best history of handling evenings of this kind of any city."

    Final arrangements, including exact dates and actual site of the matches, will be known in about a week.

    Possible sites are the Cleveland Racquet Club on Chagrin Blvd. or the Cleveland Skating Club in Shaker Heights.  Clark Stadium is no longer available.  Those grandstands already have been sold to the city of Indianapolis.

    "THIS IS NOT A ONE-YEAR deal," emphasized Malaga.  "Next summer will just begin the competition, which will run indefinitely, just like the Wightman matches."
    "There will be a cup, similar to either the Davis or Wightman Cup.  It will be symbolic of winning the competition.  I'm excited about it and so is everyone else in the USLTA."

    Players, non-playing captains and officials won't be named for several months, but it's probable that Miss Evert, who captured the hearts of Cleveland tennis fans last summer in the Wightman matches, and Miss Goolagong, the 1971 Wimbledon champion from Australis, will be here.  Mrs. Court, who is expecting a baby, and Mrs. King,  also should be here, that is, if Margaret comes out of retirement again and Mrs. King patches up all her differences with the USLTA.

    The Greater Cleveland Tennis Association, headed by Joe Nook, Jack Herrick and Monte Granger, will handle the matches for the USLTA.