Exit Pauline

In Monte Carlo, between matches, the tawny-eyed queen of U.S. amateur tennis got her first hint of trouble back home. The rulers of amateur tennis wanted to know whether Pauline Betz had turned pro. She ignored their cable, went back on court and proceeded to lose unexpectedly to Rumania's Magda Rurak. Pauline did not alibi; she said offhandedly: "Maybe I brought a little happiness to Rumania."

In Paris last week, with the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association's cable still not answered, Champion Pauline Betz was outlawed from amateur tennis. "I'm not going to sit in a corner and cry about this," she said. But an hour later, at a sidewalk cafe on the Champs Elysees, her little glass of jus de fruits was still untouched in front of her and Pauline seemed undecided what to do.

Facts & Figures. She had been found guilty, not of succumbing to the temptations of professional tennis, but merely of inquiring about them. A month ago in Manhattan, Pauline Betz had asked friends how well a pro tour with ex-Champion Sarah Palfrey Cooke would draw. Sarah's tennis-playing husband, Elwood, wrote a brazenly open letter to 1,200 tennis clubs here & abroad, suggesting that Pauline and Sarah might be willing to play on their courts for a small fee--say, $350 on weekdays and $500 on weekends. In natural bewilderment--for even a tennis amateur is not allowed to take money so openly for playing tennis--several clubs asked the U.S.L.T.A. whether Pauline and Sarah had turned pro.U.S.L.T.A.'s reply was to suspend Pauline and Sarah (Elwood beat them to it by stepping out voluntarily).

Pauline herself seemed uncertain about the distinction between pro and amateur. Said she: "The question is, when does a person become a professional? How do I know that it is worthwhile unless someone looks into it?"

In Paris last week Pauline was not even sure that she wanted to turn professional. Said she: "If it doesn't make good sense, I'll go back to selling real estate." At 27, Pauline had won all the tournaments she wanted (including four national championships), but she had never beaten Sarah (herself a two-time national singles winner) for the championship. And it seemed certain last week that neither would ever play in another amateur tournament.

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