MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Neale Fraser, who won three Grand Slam singles titles and guided Australia to four Davis Cup titles during a 24-year career as team captain, has died at 91.
Tennis Australia released a statement Tuesday saying the sport “has lost one of its giants.”
Fraser beat Australian tennis great Rod Laver to win Wimbledon in 1960, in between sweeps at the U.S. Open where he won the singles, men’s doubles and mixed titles in 1959 and ’60. He won 11 major men's doubles titles, including at least two at each of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Laver, the only man to twice win all four singles majors in a calendar year, posted a tribute to his “dear mate and fellow lefty” on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Fraser “was a true gem in a golden era of Australian tennis legends -- an incredible World No. 1, a Grand Slam champion, and a Davis Cup icon," Laver posted. “Neale bested me in 2 major finals, pushing me to become a better player. I’ll miss you dearly, buddy.”
Fraser helped Australia win four consecutive Davis Cup titles as a player and rejected lucrative offers to turn professional in a quest to succeed Harry Hopman as the national team captain.
“That ambition was fulfilled in 1970 and he remained in the position until 1993, helming 24 Davis Cup campaigns during which Australia won the title four times,” Tennis Australia said. “Generations of players were inspired by his leadership including John Newcombe, John Fitzgerald and Pat Cash.”
Fraser was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1984. In 2008 Fraser was awarded the International Tennis Federation's Philippe Chatrier Award for outstanding achievement in the sport.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
FILE - Ashley Cooper, left, holds the winner's trophy and poses with Neale Fraser after winning the men's singles championship in Wimbledon, July 4, 1958. (AP Photo, File)
Australian tennis legends and Hall of Famers from left, Roy Emerson, Neale Fraser and Rod Laver acknowledge the crowd during ceremonies celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. on July 10, 2004. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — A group led by left-wing activists filed a second impeachment complaint against the Philippine vice president on Wednesday over her alleged misuse of government funds and demanded that she be permanently barred from holding public office.
The impeachment complaint filed by at least 74 activists, including human rights, labor and student leaders, before the House of Representatives reflects the extent of the political hostilities faced by Vice President Sara Duterte. She did not immediately comment on the new impeachment complaint or an earlier one filed Monday.
Duterte, a 46-year-old lawyer, is the daughter of also-controversial former President Rodrigo Duterte, who oversaw a bloody anti-drug crackdown while in office. The killing of thousands of suspects during the crackdown is being investigated by the International Criminal Court as a possible crime against humanity.
Her No. 1 political adversary has been President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., whom she publicly threatened with death in a Nov. 23 online news conference.
Government investigators have launched a criminal investigation into her threat against the president, his wife and the speaker of the House of Representatives, a cousin and ally of Marcos. Duterte has tried to walk back her comments by saying they were not a direct death threat but rather an expression of concern for her own safety.
The complaint filed Wednesday accused the vice president of “betrayal of public trust over the illegal use and mishandling of 612.5 million pesos ($10.3 million) in confidential funds,” according to a statement by the complainants.
The impeachment complaint said that in addition to the alleged misuse of the confidential and intelligence funds, the vice president and her staff allegedly tried to cover up the irregularities by submitting fabricated reports, receipts and documents to the Commission on Audit and deliberately obstructing a congressional investigation.
It said that in December 2022, the vice president’s office spent 125 million pesos ($2 million) in 11 days during the Christmas holidays for suspicious expenditures, including renting “safe houses,” paying for unspecified confidential information and financing rewards, which it said were not clearly explained by Duterte.
“Wasting the confidential funds is a big betrayal of the people,” said Liza Maza, a leading complainant from the Makabayan political coalition. “This is not just a simple technical violation but a systematic misuse and robbery of public funds.”
“The impeachment is the antidote to impunity,” said Renato Reyes of Bayan, another left-wing political coalition. “Citizens and taxpayers need to hold public officials accountable.”
On Monday, a group of civil society activists, including Roman Catholic priests and pro-democracy activists, filed an initial impeachment case that contained about 24 alleged crimes and irregularities, including her death threats against Marcos and her alleged role in the extra-judicial killings of drug suspects under her father's crackdown. She was also accused of failing to stand up to Chinese aggression in the disputed South China Sea.
The impeachment complaints will be examined by the House of Representatives, which is dominated by allies of Marcos and his cousin and key backer, House Speaker Martin Romualdez, who also has been politically at odds with the vice president.
The process could take weeks or months. Congress is to start its Christmas recess on Dec. 20 and resume on Jan. 13. Many legislators will then start campaigning for reelection ahead of the May 12 midterm elections.
The House has been investigating the alleged misuse of confidential and intelligence funds received by Duterte’s offices as vice president and education secretary. She has since left the education post.
She has refused to respond to questions in detail in tense televised hearings. Philippine police have filed criminal complaints against Duterte and her security staff for allegedly assaulting authorities and disobeying orders in an altercation in Congress over the brief detention of her chief of staff, who was accused of hampering the congressional inquiry into the alleged misuse of funds.
The National Bureau of Investigation subpoenaed Duterte to face investigators on Dec. 11 about her threats against the president.
Marcos and Duterte won landslide victories as running mates in the 2022 election but have since fallen out over key differences. The two offices are elected separately in the Philippines, which has resulted in rivals occupying the country’s top political posts.
Associated Press journalists Aaron Favila and Joeal Calupitan contributed to this report.
House Secretary General, Reginald Velasco, left, receives a second impeachment complaint filed against Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte on Wednesday Dec. 4, 2024 at the House of Representatives in Quezon City, Philippines. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)
