BUDGE MADE VINES LOOK A CHUMP

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 34, 10 February 1939, Page 13

BUDGE MADE VINES LOOK A CHUMP

Seventeen Thousand Spectators Are Disappointed in First of 70 Contests.

FOR a year-or more lawn'tennis . . enthusiasts havr'argued over, ■the: possibility-of .Donald Budge,World's N0..1 amateur, beating Ellsworth Vines, world's No. 1 professional: They had never met in-, a formal tennis, match (Budge was- still playing;with the.juniors in 1933 when Vines turned pro.).

Vines backers; stoutly rnaintained that their man Has the best forehand in the world, that he had beaten Fred Perry, his successor and: Budge's predecessor as world's No.-1 amateur, in a night-after.-night series.to f, professional, matches last' year.;■' ;■ ' : ;■:■■ ■■■ ■ . ■'*. :■■

\ Budge backers were equally vociferous in proclaiming that their man has the best backhand in.the world, that ho had won every match lie wanted to win since Fred Perry beat him at Forest Hills in 1938, that he is the only player in. history to win in one year all four major amateur championships—AustraFrench, English, U.S. • I -..Like urchins arguing on a street icorner, .the Vinesmen usually ended the ' rally, by jeering that Budge was at the tpjK.bccause. he had ncSer met any real opposition;.';. ■ /...On. January 4 in' Manhattan's Madison Sqiiarc,;. Garden, the Budge backhand fiii.ally.nict the Vines forehand, states thci'Amencnn magazine' "Time." It was the: opening match of a TO-city Budge v. Vines professional tour, and 17,000 tennis enthusiasts gladly paid up to £2 a seat to'see it, They breathlessly watched Budge serve his first ball—his first stroke under lights, indoors, for pay. The ball landed three feet .beyond the baseiline. .';'.'..

" We Wuz Robbed."; {-Sixty.minutes.later. lTipOO polite;tennisfaiisj.looked; jit one.,another in astonish nient... It 'they "liacl been- prize-fight fan* (hey. ■ would, "have veiled: - "We . wit;: robbed.'* ITlie grout spectacle the.tehni.y xydrld; had boon anticipating : for more',' than- a year-had. been about as excitina--11 : i i k uliles. "match at the'club. Budge,',.plß J'ing. below" luo'.liost; had, made Vines; tic veteran; look , like-V cliiuup.Miad trounced him;' A^,'(j-^,:a^.:l-,;:';■:= \': ;/;'';■ .''■'".<:■'3 -Convinced iio\v that B'.idge could beat Vines, tennis enthusiasts started to nrg'np. ilnew: Could : Budge Ibeat,Vines in the ;70-match: series i ;•;;,'At .week's end they were "all; cven.l witli-two victories apiece..

, W' THE BEST BACKHAND 8»' : f/.-Jl ■•';.■ ■ Ao world, said Budge's pr-".:"■■'.■''; "' *upportcr«, ',

Vines Gets Even. Eight thousand enthusiasts cheered Vines at Chicago when he came from behind to square the scries by taking the Inst three sets, beating.Budge 3 —0,. 2—6, 6—o, 6—3, : G—3. Through the opening games, both men manoeuvred to get tho range, writes our American correspondent. Occasionally they brightened some lackadaisical tennis with a few brilliant strokes. After Vines hud taken the first game. Budge settled down and ran four in a row, breaking Vines' service on the last of these after it had gone to deuce five times. Vines steadied and got off some good shots during protracted rallies to take tlie next two. Then he became erratic again and dropped two, terminating the set with a double fault. Vines drew the cheers of the crowd with his aggressive play at the outset of the second set. He broke through Budge's service and then, won on his own. Budge took command at this juncture, and ran six consecutive games. Again the set ended on a double fault by Vines. ■

A Love Set. ; ' Vines started well in the third set. taking thd first game as lie drew his opponent out.of position with a beautifully executed lob,and smacked the return for a. clean placement. He went on to win his own service at love anil then cracked through Budge's service. Leading 40—30 in the next game, Vines hammered a service ace past Budge to take a 4—o advantage. Continuing, hi? brilliant stroking, Vines won the next also, scoring the decisive point with a long low drive to the forehand corner He ran the next game to 40—30, trier' a drop shot that his opponent returner' and then hammered over a fine backhand passing shot to take the *et t 6—o. Vines won the first two games of the fourth set to run his string to eight in a row. Games went with service until Vines, leading 5—3, broke through with a series of perfectly executed placements to' take the set, squaring the match. Games went with'aervice. for the first five pamos of the final 6et. Then Vines, attacking inexorably, broke through to lead, 4—2. His tremendous service ace was the deciding point in the next game and he led, 5—2. Vines eased off while dropping the next on Budge's service. Then he rode in on his own delivery to take the set, 6—3; winning tho match.