NOT SENSE!

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 143, 18 June 1936, Page 7

NOT SENSE!

WIMBLEDON SEEDINGS

Australians Object to Ranking of Crawford. BUDGE PLACED TOO LOW. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 10 a.m.) LONDON, June 17. Players "seeded" in the draw for the British lawn tennis championships, commencing at Wimbledon on Monday:—

Men's Singles.—F. J. Perry, G. von Cramm, A. K. Quist, W. L. Allison, J. D. Budge, J H. Crawford, H. W. Austin, and B. Grant (U.S.A.).

Women's Singles—Miss D. E. Round, Miss Helen Jacobs, Mrs. Marshal Fabyan (nee Sarah Palfrey), Miss K. Stammers, Mrs. Svend Sperling (nee Fraulein Kraliwinkel, Denmark), Mme. Rene Matliieu (France), Mile. J. Jedrzejowska (Poland), Senorita Anita Lizana (Chile).

Men's Doubles.—Crawford and Quist, Allison and J. van Ryn, Budge and C. G. Mako, G. P. Hughes and C. R. D. Tuckey (winners of doubles in 1935 Davis Cup challenge round).

Women's Doubles. —Misses Stammers and Freda James, followed by Miss Jacobs and Mrs. Fabvan.

Mixed Doubles.—Perry and Miss Round, with C. E. Malfroy (New Zealand) and Mrs. Sperling, fourth.

"This does not read sense," is how Crawford's "seeding" is summed up in Australian quarters. It is emphasised that American form showed him to be obviously superior to Allison.

The Australians are also mystified to find Quist and Allison ranked above Budge.

Mr. Wallis Myers, in the "Daily Telegraph," says: "In the men's list at Wimbledon the 'seedsmen' tactfully reduced heartburning by nominating four national champions for the first four places. A student of world form might question Quist's ability to defeat Budge, but champions remain champions until they, lose their titles."

Critics, analysing the draw, foresee that Perry and Cramm will contest the final. They are of the opinion that the semi-finalists will be Perry, Budge, Austin and Cramm.

Crawford will have the hardest first round of the "seeded" players, having been drawn against the former German Davis Cup player, Daniel Prenn.

Other first round matches include: Vivian McGratli v. H. B. Purcell, A. K. Quist v. N. Taylor, C. E. Sproule v. Hon. C. N. O. Ritchie, C. E. Malfroy v. J. ICukuljevic (Yugoslavia Davis Cup player), E. D. Andrews (New Zealand) v. C. F. Aeschliman (Switzerland), A. C. Stedman , (New Zealand) v. F. H. D. Wilde.

Tlie object of '"seeding" the draw is to provide against the best players meeting in early rounds, thus preventing inferior competitors from predominating in the quarter-finals onwards. Unless one or more of the above players or pairs are defeated in the preliminary stages they will fight out the stages subsequent to quarterfinals, before which they cannot possibly meet in any case. "Seeded" players do not always conform the optimism of the drawing committee. For example, Fred. Perry was beaten by N. G. Farquharson (South Africa) in the second round of the 1933 British singles; while Henri Cochet (1927 and 1929 champion) was eliminated in the 1931 first round by Nigel Sharpe, and in the 1932 second round by lan Collins, who toured New Zealand with the British team in 1928-29. Last year Wilnier Allison wa6 beaten by the "unseeded" Australian prodigy McGratli in the opening round; while Christian Boussus, "seeded" eighth, fell to America's new star, Donald Budge, in the round before the quarter-finals.

Similarly, Joan Hartigan, then unseeded (Australia) eliminated Mrs. Sperling in the fourth round of 1934, and also put out another seeded player in Margaret Scriven in the next round. As the last "seeded" player in 1935, the Australian champion beat the 1934 champion, Dorothy Round, in the quarter-finals, in which the only "unseeded" competitor was the Polish girl, Mile. Jedrzejowsky (but only seven women were "seeded" in 1935.

The Australian criticism is obviously justified, as Crawford reached the semifinals last year (falling to Perry in four sets), while Allison went out in the first round. Crawford's victory at Philadelphia over the United States captain gave Australia a narrow win in the Davis Cup American zone final. As for Budge, he not only beat the "seeded" Austin in the quarter-finals last year, but took the first set from Crarnm before the German could play Perry in the final. And less than three weeks ago Budge vanquished both Quist and Crawford in the Davis Cup. Perry beat Cramm in the 1935 final, 6 —2, 6—4,' 6—4.

In all the above "seeding" the first player or pair is the defending champion in the 1936 Wimbledon tourney, except in the women's singles, in which Mrs. Wills Moody is not competing. She holds the record, along with Mrs. Lambert Chambers (formerly Miss D. K. Douglass), of seven times singles champion of Wimbledon; Suzanne Lenglen and Mrs. G. W. Hillyard (Blanche Bungle.v) being next with six. Although beaten by both Katherine Stammers and Dorothy Round in the recent Wightman Cup contest. Helen Jacobs is entitled to her 1936 ranking. She was runner-up in the 1935 British singles, and two months later won the American title, for the fourth consecutive year.

The national champions referred to by Jlr. Wallis Myers are: Perry (British). Cramm. (German), Quiet (Australia), and Allison (U.S.A. —he beat Perry, holder of title, last year at Forest Hills, 7 —5, 6—3, 6—3).

BUDGE EXTENDED.

CZECH TAKES HIM TO 3 SETS. (Received 1 p.m.) LONDON, June 17. In the third round of the men's singles at the Queen's Club tennis tournament, Donald Budge (U.S.A.) beat Ladislow liecht (Czeeho-Slovalcia), after a hard fight, G—3, 5—7, 7—5.

J. S. OllifT is the only Englishman left in the last eight. Stratford (U.S.A.)' created a surprise by defeating E. Maier '(Spain).

Quist and McGrath beat H. Billington and G. R. B. Meredith, in the third round of the doubles, G—4, (i—4.