TENNIS IN AMERICA

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 11, 13 January 1945, Page 6 (Supplement)

TENNIS IN AMERICA

Parker, The National Champion, Again Beats Talbert In Final At Los Angeles

FWas one of Los Angeles' record-hot September week-ends. The mercury had crept to a baking 105 for the semi-finals the day before and it still was sweltering just below 100 on this final day of the 1 Bth annual Pacific South-west tennis championships before 4000 intent observers around the centre court of the Los Angeles Tennis Club.

No less torrid was the test ran fronting 28-year-old Frankie Parker the sun-bronzed baseline automaton who a scant two weeks earlier finally had chased down the end of the rainbow in his 13-year quest for the national men's singles championship. The setting was identical with that of Forest Hills 13 days before. Lean, determined William Talbert, of Cincinnati, opposed Parker again, and while Frankie had dominated his foeman with precise finality in fc*"the last two sets of their national title match it remained for this return engagement to indelibly stamp the Army Air Forces sergeant with the sobriquet of champion, for he was called upon to win this time by the hardest way, as he came from behind to emerge the victor, 6 —4, 6—B, B—6. The women's final also brought together the same two players who had fought it out at Forest Hills f<?r the national women's title. Again Pauline triumphed over Margaret OsbOrne, the score this time being 6—4, 6—3. Parker won a second victory when he and A.S. Robert O. Kimbrell defeated Talbert and Segura, 7—5, o—6, 6—2, and the women's doubles was won by the national doubles champions, Louise Brough and Margaret Osborne, who scored over . Pauline Betz and Mary Ar.nold, 6—4, 6 —3. Miss Brough, with Kimbrell, also won the mixed doubles title by beating the national champions, Miss Osborne and Talbert, in the final round, 4—6, 6—3, 6 —4. An Uphill Fight The men's singles was a two out of three sets match, with the American champion taking the first at 6—4 and his challenger returning to snare the second at B—6. Under this alarming set-up came the whiteheat test survived by the Muroc Field airman only after one ot tne most gruelling uphill fights in his 15-year career on the courts. Twice in the third set Talbert pressed with menacing advantages, and each time Parker, responded with the necessary reserve of energy and canny placement skill. The first time Talbert held a 5—4 margam, and again he had 6—5, 30-0 on Parker's service, but Frankie tenaciously on to deuce the match and capture the thirteenth game as Talbert cuted a ball and Frankie cut the line for a clean placement. From -* this point Parker raced to the final victory 6—4, 6—B, 8-*—6, on his own service, as Talbert erred away his sole remaining chance.

With fleeting exceptions it was a battle of deep driving, which might have been anticipated, but what was not expected was an outbreak of freouent overdriving and even doublefaulting by the ordinarily supeiconsistent Parker. Nor did the accuracy of Talbert s driving appear up to par, although he ballnced this by redoubtable gets of point-laden backhands which slummed away low from the yeiy corners The Ohioan's court coverage slackened in the closing games ■ and it was reported after the match that he had suffered a leg cramp in the thirteenth game. • Sergeant Parker, encountered another rocky obstacle in his path when Air Cadet Robert Falkenburg, the national junior champion sought to blast him from the courts in the semi-finals before Parker advanced bv an B—6, 6—2 score. Falkenbuig tossed all his chances into an exhibition of blazing serves in the first set The six-foot-two youngster executed nine service aces m the set and bolstered that phase of his game with fierce net attacks to hold a 5—4 lead before Frankie could adjust his game to this display of power and outsteady his opponent, To gain 5—4 Falkenburg rifled three serves to the inside corner, the first two going for clean aces and the third coming at such lightning speed that Parker couldn t effectively handle it Frankie then double-faulted himself into a 30—40 disadvantage, but Bob drove long and Parker eventually pulled out of the tight spot by advancing to the net for a put-a-way volley.In the other semi-final Talbert duplicated his Forest Hills advance by eliminating Francisco Segura 61_4 2—6, 6—2. Talbert kept balls deep and low to reel off the first set,

vielded on his own service in losing he second, but rallied in the third ->eriod for another near-flawless performance to afford Segura few chances at the set-up shots he c'elishes. Miss Betz Beats Miss Osborne Again in the women's singles final there developed a renewal of the still fresh Forest Hills encounteras Pauline Betz, the national champion, and Margaret Osborne of San Francisco came together, with Miss Betz triumphing 6 —4, 6—3. This was an excitingly played match which outshone the men's final for verve and versatility of strokes. The galleries broke out in repeated applause as Miss Osborne challenged more formidably than she did in the nationals. In both sets Miss Osborne, losing her opening serve, imposed a twogame handicap upon herself, but in the first set she overcame this to reach 4-all by breaking Pauline's service in a dazzling exchange of net volleys. Her own outs cost the San Francisco girl the next game, and Miss Betz took the set on sterling forehand placements. Miss Osborne still wasn't subdued, for she arose to win three games in a row for a 3—2 lead in the second set. Margaret annexed the fifth game on an ace as the climax of long and cleverly played rallies. But again Miss Betz bore down with sharp placements to even it, and then Miss Osborne lost a love game on her own service to give Pauline the commanding 4—3 lead. At the peak of her excellent retrieving game, Miss Betz put out Dorothy May Bundy 6—o, 6—4 in the semi-finals, while Miss Osborne out-lucked Mrs. Sarah Palfrey Cooke to stifle a spectacular return to major competitive tennis on the part of the American champion of 1941. A Major Upset Mrs. Cooke accomplished the tournament's major upset by eliminating Miss Brough, the defending champion, in the quarter-finals, 6—4, 6—2. The play of the petite star from Brookline, now residing with her husband, Lieut. Elwood Cooke, U.S.N., at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, was brilliant right up to the heart-breaking turn of the tide for her. Sarah's victory over Miss Brought came mainly through a heady display of passing shots as Louise strove vainly to storm the net. Winning the first set against Miss Osborne at 6—4, Mrs. Cooke advanced to a 5—4, 40—0 lead in the second. With victory all but recorded, Sarah 'went in on a fairly strong forcing shot which Margaret lofted back in a semi-lob. Forced into quick reverse, Sarah had to reach too far back and hit wide. Essaying a cross-court forehand a few moments later, Mrs. Cooke again drove wide, score now 40—30. At this breathless point Mrs. Cooke netted a volley to deuce the game, from which,point Margaret pressed to win it, and then took the third set and match as Sarah tired. Mrs. Conlce clearly was annoyed at herself after her first miss.