TENNIS IN FRANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 178, 28 July 1913, Page 7

TENNIS IN FRANCE.

* I WOKLTJ'S CTTft H-SPIOKSTTTF. WON BY WILDING. 1 From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON. June 20. i At the conclusion of the last lawn tennis season it was understood that the j paramount claims of business would I practically prevent Anthony Wilding from further participation in serious 1 tennis, and that the hard courts of the j Continent and the centre court at Wim- j bledon would know him no more as a competitor in championships. But with the spring. Wilding emerged from his alleged " retirement," and on Suiiday last, before four thousand Parisian enthusiasts assembled at the Stade Erancais, the New Zealander met and beat decisively, by 3 set 3 to L and "21 games to 14, his great French rival, Andre Gobert, in the final of the world's hard court championship. These champions kid last crossed racquets at Queen's in the covered courts championship challenge round of 1912, when Gobert. at one time two sets down, retained his title by a surprising effort of concentrated brilliancy. Since then Wiiding has been beaten at Manchester by Parke, the Irish champion, and Cobert, under the influence of excessive heat, bos fallen to the Germans in the recent Davis Cup tic oat Wisbaden. A blazing sun iiea t down on the heads of tbe players cm Sunday. Unprotected I at first from its heat —as Wilding was I throughout the mateh —Gobert was obvi- ! ously uncomfortable, and bitting firmly from the base-line. Wilding flourished ou ! his opponent's errors. He was -within a point of the set at s—2t but Goliert saved this game, and won the n?xL How-ever, his game then fell away, %nd Wilding went out easily at 6—3. The second set was similar, but Cobert's forehand driving improved, whle his backhand cross shots to Wildip'e forehand line in 1 eased in number. Jut he ren>ained inconsistent, and could -ary win three game?. Two sets down, od | seemingly a beaten man, Gobert draed his head" with a bathing cap saturated in j water, and under the. refresiing ittflnece of this effective, if ugly. " cooler." us game greatly improved. Winning WcV , ing-s service game, for the fir«t | reached 2—l, and thenoe-forwrd j throughout, the third set (eapturedat 0— 1) played "like a book." But a""*-j action was .-oon 10 ecme. lie won he I iirst game in the fourth set on his sr- j vice, and might have won the setpd from 15 —40. Failing to take lis j chance, his weakness returned, and "Wding, though evidently feeling the efl':ts of the great, heat, ran to 3—l. Then came a second brilliant stak from the Frenchmen, fie went nwer to the net. employed his backhand dye with oerfect judgment, and won the ixt three games. It was a dazzling ef"rt, but when within a stroke of fi —3, Golrt j [ seemed to lose al! life and fire. Rinl-

I taneouslv Wilding '" came again." ad speedily levelled np matter?. In he i tpnth game he made a splendid retrn 'i of a net cord stroke, secured the gne \ I from 30. and tbe match. : j The tennis at times was hardly wony of the men in the event, but the htt ' was extremely trying, and both in j were obviously much influenced byt. | Wilding was associated with Otto Frt- j ~ zheim in the doubles championship. sd\ ' the pair won their way into the fill | jnly to -be beaten by Kleinsc.hroth al Baron yon Bissing after a strenue ' match, in which neither Froitzheim ir | ' Wilding gave their best, both being '. | " j times very erratic After losing the fit ■ set at 7 —5. they smothered the Bar, | [ and his partner in the second, the lati j ' I failing to epcure a single game. Til I *• i Wilding and his partner .slowed dot* | • | and were beaten. 6—3, in the third. Thij made an effort in the next, and ran th«; ' [ ! opponents to " 6 all." but losing the nejj t\ two games, were defeated by 3 sets to •' ■ and 21 games to 20. -| Wilding, with Madame Golding for h , - hplp-mate. also reached the final of t) ; 5 mixed doubles, but scratched in tl , . I championship round, and left Max 'Do<s| , :• | gis and Miss Ryan with a bloodlei . - i victory. , 3 j In the. semi-final of the men's double; ' \i by the way. Wilding and Froitzheim htj . a tremendous battle with Decugis and '3 . c I Germ-ot. They lost the first set at 6—i . r ! returned the cfimplrment in the seconi ' , ! and won the third at 6—2. Then Di J p!cujis and partner woke up, and beS J "i their rivals 7—5, but in tl ' ; deciding t=ct Wilding and partner agai' •• returned the compliment," and tht J I ! won a gruelling fifty game match by ) I sets to 1. and 27 games to 23. ' j Anthony Wildinjr's younger brothe' 'F. P. Wilding., made his Parisian debt : ]in the championships, entering for a ! I three events, but his career in all wa ! ! cut down to a single round. ' ! . ""*