AUSTRALIA LOSES TO UNITED STATES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 127, 31 May 1937, Page 7

AUSTRALIA LOSES TO UNITED STATES.

DAVIS CUP FIASCO.

U.S.A. Win Three Rubbers In Straight Sets. BROMWICH REPLACES QUIST. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Received 9.30 a.m.) FOREST HILLS, May 30. Although two more singles remain to be played the Australians have been eliminated from the Davis Cup, as the United States has already won three of the live rubbers. Acting on medical advice, A. K. Quist (Australia) did not play and was replaced by J. Bromwich. All the American victories were gained in straight sets. The opening singles played on Saturday resulted:— J. D. Budge (United States) beat J. H. Crawford (Australia), 6—l, ti—3, 6—2. B. Grant (United States) beat J. Bromwich (Australia), o—2,0 —2, 7—5, 6—l. In the doubles decided this afternoon the score was:— J. D. Budge and C. G. Mako (United States) beat J. H. Crawford and V. B. McGrath, 7—5, 6 —l, B—6. Budge failed with his service in the first game o? the doubles and gave the Australians a quick lead, which they gradually improved to 3 —l. The service then held until McGrath dropped his in the sixth game, and the score became even. Play was crisp and speedy, both teams engaging in short, sharp volleying contests iu mid-court. A series of bad line and service decisions, which spectators booed, cost the Australians dearly in the seventh. These incidents apparently unnerved the Australians, because Crawford thereafter dropped his service, double-faulting and netting to give the Americans a 5—3 lead.

McGrath Aggressive. McGrath's court coverage was phenomenal, and his kills from both sides and the middle of the court accounted for most of the Australians' gained points. Crawford steadied, and with McGrath's brilliant angling, the Australians broke Budge's service; then they evened the score at 5—5. VTith similar tactics they were within a point of accounting for Mako's service in the eleventh, but the Americans made it deuce, won the game and went into a 6—5 lead. The Americans were twice set point before, aided by extraordinary hard luck which befell the Australians (whose racquets hit) they clinched the vital twelfth game for set. The Americans quickly assumed a runaway lead of 3—o in the second set, crashing their way through their opponents by offensive play at the net. The Australians were helpless on the backlines. Crawford 'won his service in the fourth game, despite a disconcerting foot-fault. It momentarily appeared as though the Australians had halted thenopponents, but the Americans swept the remainder of the games with ease. They smashed the Australians' defensive lobs back to their feet, and simply won at will. McGrath was slow, obviously tired and unfit. Victory went to America in the third set, without other remarkable incident than a bad decision by the same linesmen as were responsible earlier this afternoon and yesterday, always being against the Australians, with the spectators remonstrating. The games began to alternate with the service, McGrath's delivery endangered the seventh when Crawford's volleys lacked length, but the Australians recouped it in the longest deuce game thus far, 7 points to 5. A break came in the . ninth, when Crawford lost his service, principally by the Australians' outs, and the Americans assumed a 5—4 lead. The Americans thrice were set point on Mako's service, but a double-fault and excessive length on many of their returns cost the Americans game. The score was now 5 —5, and the gallery of 5000 cheered lustily when the Australians went in the lead, 6—5. They twice were set point at this vital juncture, but the Americans, with perfect lobbing, enabled them to pull out. A br,eak then came again on Crawford's service. His forehand shots were over the backlin'e by inches and the Americans led 7—6. The Australians were within a point of retrieving the position by accounting for Mako's service in the fourteenth game, but three overhead smashes by the Americans ended the danger and gave them set, match and victory in the American zone final.

Mako, unlike last year, proved a most formidable obstacle, and aggressively attacked the Australians. American Too Speedy. On Saturday, Budge broke through Crawford's service in the third longdrawn game of the first set. The Australian made several double-faults and gave the American a 2—l lead, which he improved to 3—l with a love game, the final point being from a sizzling service for an ace. The" American won the fifth and led 4—l, the Australian's shots not coming off and lacking distance. Pace wou the next two games for Budge. Crawford rallied encouragingly in the second set and proceeded to put genuine pressure on hi* opponent. The Australian evened the score at 3 —3 by retiring his service in the sixth, which went to deuce twice. Afterwards his drive seemed to collapse and the American promptly clinched the set. Crawford again tem)*orarily rallied and was within a point of breaking through Budge's service to lead 2—O in the third set, but his judgment of distance again went astray. He dropped the next seven points and lost his own service and gave the American a lead of 2 —l. Budge temporarily halted his own headlong rush to victory with errors, but, with drastically stroked placements, led 4—2. He got 'match point three times before he could clinch victory. I Bromwk-h was apparently nervous in I his first international test and opened extreuielv badly, probably playing the worst tennis of his tournament career. He won onlv five points in the first four games. He then put in a spurt of unexpected brilliance, winning the seventh game to love. He ipjickly succumbed when the American ran out to set with a love game. Broniwich lost the first four games m the next set. and s,-<>re<l only 14 pointin it to Grant's 27. which cleaily showed the gulf between them.