LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 1, 1 July 1922, Page 15

LAWN TENNIS

(By "Huka.")

•.,... DAVIS CUP. The top half in the Davis Cup contest has resulted Ih France and Australia winning their matches, and those two nations should now meet in the semi-final. Patterson's win against Washer was none too convincing. The wet courts may have levelled the players up, but, as usual, Patterson's back hand was not too good, and then again he did not size his opponent up quickly, as surely Davis Cup players of experience are expected to do, for he did not realise that Washer was a lefthander, and consequently did not hammer his back hand. J. Washer was the champion of Brussels in 1914, and was recently successfuf against Borotra, the French Davis Cup representative. Anderson gave a good showing o^ainist Watson, and was in luck with finer weather. A. George Watson was the Brussels champion in 1912, and is now a shade on the old side for international matches against vigorous young players. In the doubles, the Belgian pair, after losing the first and second sets, came to light, and gave Anderson and O'Hara Wood a most anxious time. If the Australians went to make a practice match of it, after' their easy win in the first and second sets, or if they slackened up, then they, by cutting it so fine, must have had a severe shock when "sets all" was called after the fourth set. They just nosed out, and it, is quite possible that, had Watson supported Washer as strongly in the beginning as he did later on, the Australians Would have gone down. Anderson beat Washer, the latter getting nine games in the three sets, whereas against Patterson the Belgian won eleven. The Patterson v. Watson single was_ abandoned, pnd no reason for so doing is given, i The players were seemingly quite fit. as Patterson and Wood played,an exhibition doubles against tho Belgians, j and won in three sets. Patterson, after the first doubles match, declared that Anderson with Wood was Australia's strongest pair in doubles, yet the exhibition match goes a long- way to explode that. It, is about time that the Davis Cup management put a stop to the abandoning of matches. Seemingly captains of teams can-do as they like iii this matter, but tow long will supporters of the game and;<the general public put up with it? The spectators pay to see the matches, some book- for the whole series of matches, and are stalled off with an exhibition stunt, which may or may not be taken seriously by the players. The management should see that players complete the whole series of matches FRANCE AND DENMARK. • 'Although the Danes; have lost three matches to France in the'Davis Cup contest, they gave the; Frenchmen a great run; especially in the doubles. The singles were both won in three sets by the Frenchmen, but .Borotra was pushed to one advantage set (8-6), and Cochet Bad two close runs (7-5 and 9-7). '. : ■ WHERE? ,' ■, '■ . Now that Australia and France are almost certain to meet, the vexed question arises as to whether the match will be played in England or America. The Australian players are anxious to jo to America immediately after the Wimbledon championships, whereas the French Association wants the match played iin England, as the trip to America on a forlorn Hope is too expensive. They will default if America is decided upon. Even if Australia wins against France then India, Spain, or the.'.' British Isles will have to be met in the final, and any one of those nations may want the event played in England. The Australians appear to be the most likely team to challenge the United States, and consequently desire to settle down in America as soon as possible, but the other nations must be given some say in the matter. It indeed would look like bad sportsmanship if, other nations were forced to default owing to, the, Australians demanding that the contests be played' in America, more especially "as all parties.'.• concerned are now in England. If such methods are adopted, it will be the thin end of. the wedge that will go to bursting asunder that fine sporting spirit that has been shown in the international contests of the past. .

Additional trouble has arisen now ,that news has been received that Czecho Slovakia will play the: Australians. • The Management Committee settled the final dates for completion of matches, if played, in Europe, as follows:—First round 24th June, second round 15th July, third round 29th July, arid fourth round 12th.August, but there is no reason why nations could not agree to play earlier. Patterson has decided to sail for America on 19th July, and accordingly wants the third' and fourth rounds played in America. One Davis Cup contest a week should not trouble seasoned players,.:and that/would mean that the second, third, and fourth rounds could-b6 played off by the end of July in England, thereby saving the losing nations the heavy expense that the trip to America means. If Australia should pome through as winners the players would have three weeks in America to prepare for the challenge round, which is scheduled to begin on Ist September. H nations disagree regarding dates, then the champion. nation fixes the dates and location, after consultation with the nations concerned. It is to be hoped, in the interest of sport;.that there will be no defaults owing to the Australians wanting to get to America quickly. , INDIA v. RUMANIA.

India, with the brothers A. A. and A. H. Fyzee, aided by Mamaswami in the doubles, completely swamped Mishu and Stern, of Rumania. Mishu gave the most opposition, running- both his singles to four sets, doing best against A. fl. Fyzee, when he took the first set, and ran the fourth one to an advantage set, 7-5. India now meets Spain, and the latter is considered to have slightly the better chance. Whosoever wins, will meet the British Isles, in the: semi-finals of the lower side of the draw. . ' _ . SPAIN. , • Spain will possibly have Manuel Aloneo and Count de Gomar as representatives. Last April a team from England was badly beaten' by Spain, the latter winning 10 matches out of 12. Alonso beat F. Gordon Lowe (the British Isles Davis Cup player), 6-4. 9-7, 5-7, 3-6, 64; and Gomar alec beat Lowe, 6-3, 10-8, 4-6, 6-4. The Spanish players will have to be reckoned with, and they may get to the final against Australia. . BRITISH ISLES v. ITALY. The British Isles won comfortably from Italy, although. Colombo . gave Kingscote a hard run for the first and second sets, the score being 7-5, 6-4. The Italian fizzled badly in the third,set, losing.it 6-1. Kingscote is possibly England's best singles player at present. He is 32 years of age, not 34 as previously, stated. Francis. Gordon Lowe, the other singles representative, is 38 years of age. He is the Lowe that won the championship of Australasia in 1915 at Brisbane, and won the championship of Mesopotamia ]in 1919. He was made a staff-lieutenant in India during 1917, and captain in 1919, and was mentioned in despatches the'same year. Rise- | ley, the English veteran, was born on the 6tb July. 1877, so will be 45 years of age Booto. He partnered Kingscote in the doubles for the simple reason that Lycett was unable to play^ Possibly the latter wiU play in the doubles in future matches. Riseley was supposed to have retired from first-class tennis about 1912, but came back to it after the war, and won the West of England doubles with-A. W. Gore at Bristol in 1920. In 1919, he won the All England Combined Championship with Mrs. Lambert Chambers. The English selectors seemingly stick to a very limited' circle, and have always done so when selecting, representative teams. Possibly, the reason is that the, less wealthy players, cannot spare so much time for tennis holidays, and there is not the slightest doubt that, soim© new blood, even though not blue, will have to be given a chance if the British Isles wishes to be the possessor of-the Davis Cup: in the future. America has given the Park players a chance, and is assisting them, and the close corporation of the British Isles, which was severely commented upon by writers in England a. few yours ago, mu»t be broken up if they, wita to tuccaed.

OURS-v.'.THEIRS. When asked the direct question m to how our lady' champion, Mies Nancy Curtis, compared with Mrs. Malloiy, the United States champion, Mile. 8. Lenglen, the Frenoh champion, and Mka K. M'Kane, of England, th« writer blinked a moment, then said: "She is in their olass." The writer has not seen the three northern hemisphere champions playing tennis, but has studied reports on their style of play and their performances, and also has talked it over with those who have seen them in action, and has therefore some grounds for an opinion. The writer does not contend that Mies Curtis can beat any of these players—that matter can only be settled by the playera meeting in a contest—but our ohampion in all departments of the game is as well equipped as any of them. She his not had the coaching that Mile. Lenglen has been favoured with, nor possibly the continued high-class play that Mr3. F. Mollory or Miss M'Kane have always aeoured, but she is a natural tennis player, and her ground and overhead shots are claimed <to be quite as good as any displayed by these ladies. Her temperament is of the best, and her strength and1 activ- i ity good enough to win against all-comers. But. persists the questioner, could she | beat these players? "Huka" handles the reply as follows: —There are. over 10,000 tennis players in New Zealand, and: if the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association could arrange matters so that our champion could be sent to England early in 1923, with the idea of competing at the Wimbledon Championships, then the writer believes that the tennis players and their supporters would raise the necessary £500. New Zealand has sent runners, swimmers, footballers, shootists, and bowlers to England, and the question as'to whether it is ours or theirs that is the best lady: tennis champion can be solved by sending Miss Curtis, if the tennis players 'are game to back their champion. ' On© shilling from each player is all that is necessary. NEW. ZEALAN.D-A NATION? New Zealand has become disrupt with Australia as far as the Davis Cup contest is concerned, and has also given notice resigning from the Australasian Association; but notwithstanding all that being legally performed, New Zealand cannot become a nation as far as Davis Cup purposes are concerned, nor play in the contest until Rule No. 1 in the regulations for the International Lawn Tennis Championship is altered. Rule 21 read as follows :—"The above regulations 'shall be binding upon the nations concerned,' and shall not be altered except with the consent of two-thirds of the associations or corresponding organisations whose nations shall have from time to time competed, and who shall record their votes." A portion of Rule 1 reads as follows: —"For the purposes of these regulations, Australia, with New Zealand . . . . . shall, amongst others, be regarded as separate nations." The New Zealand Association will have to apply to the secretary of the Lawn Tennis Association »f the champion nation—the champion nation at present being the United States of America—asking that New Zealand be admitted as a nation, and that Rule 1 be altered accordingly.' .' , QUERY RE SERVICE LAWS. A correspondent, . "Beginner," asksMa) What is the rule when a server misses the ball when attempting to serve? (b) Does not the N.Z.L.T.A. adopt the rules of the L.T.A. ? The third question is in regard to a matter that has not been before the association so far,",but the writer hopes to deal with it later. "Beginner," ' who, by the way, knows more about the game than the com de plume implies, has not signed his name to the letter, and that is always necessary, although not'for publication. In reply to the question (a) Rule 9 reads as follows: —"The service is a. fault if the server commits any breach of laws 6, 7, or 8, or if he miss the ball in attempting to strike it, or if the ball servedtouch ; a permanent fixture (other than the net, strap, or band) before it hits the ground." That rule was'inserted in the laws of the game by L.T.A., England, as revised at the annual general, meeting held on 13th December, 1920, arid has been observed by all players who know the laws of the game, (b) Rule' No. 2 of the N.Z.L.T.A. reads as follows :^"lt (meaning the Association) shall affiliate with the Lawn Tennis Association, and adopt the laws of lawn tennis from time to;'time sanctioned by that body," etc. '