WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 49, 26 August 1922, Page 15

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

> Milk LBNaLKN'S VICTORY. '< (ROM 00* OWN OOUISMRDUn.) '. , LONDON, 13th X J*Jy. A record tennw crowd witnessed the final of the Ladies' Singles at the new Wimbledon. The King and Queen arrived early, and there "were also in tho Royal enclosure the ex-King Manoel, the Grand Duke Michael, the Earl of Batfour, and Lord vßirkenhead. The match between Mile. Lengleh and Mrs.; Mallory, did not begin! till 7 p.m. owing to heavy rain. ;. '; ■' ■ .•■ ■ „-, ..• - ;-. ."•■... Suzanne took the aervioe, and proceed, ed to/win the firstj g-ame to love. She did not use her plain, straight service as in America; the more insidious ■ break' service waa employed.' The change was useful in that it kept Mr*. Mallory guessing as- to when the plain 'service would return. After the champion bad taken the lead at 2-1, the character of the matoh —the. plan of campaign ewjh intended to pursue—was revealed. 'The intelligence evoked no surprise," writes Mr. A. WaiJw Myers, in the ,"D»ily Telegraph," "because it conformed with one's catalogue of relitive strokos and counterstrokes. That it was to be a baseline battle one felt certain. , The holder had com© through to the final by the' accuracy and steadiness of her driving; she was .not likely' to' fonake those faithful drives when the polish .Which they had obtained, by pnctk» had made them perilect and of supreme value against an op. ponent inclined to leave the security of her own base. Mrs. Mallory, though she can voltey.u essentially » back-court I plwer; she v, indeed, on© of the few^1 and of course the best baseline player in America,. It was in the highest degree improbable, olever tectician that the is, that, having seen Mile. Lenglendraw S greater strike pliym than herself and then. I*« *»"». that she would adventure much to the net.' SUZANNE SHOWS HER SUPERIOR- ■ • ' ,-•.'■./ ■ •'.• i.ITY. •'. ;.-.,•■■ lit'!??* 8 n]l™* ,<*?• ?n *« fourtt and tu*n P«»*»< *nd the ' imporUnce' of Su«"ne rdeep f^ehand, taken on tbe stride '""j8"1! bad *nSled tot. position th» k2TSS *° •■h? w "cured it only to find fte ball retorned, ,vas then demonstrated. n could be hit wjth equal ftoility across the oourt or down the line; when it was ■5L 1 mI? *nfi f; Bteßt' m{t w» later > Mm. MaUory could only hope to win the •ri-'L* l1* ,baU Jurt mossed the line. This it stubbornly refused to do save on tbe rarest occasion*, and than more as a result of a windpuff or some .extraneous cause th»n because Mrs. MsJlory's preceding stroke had caused the hand of her opponent to falter. Yet when the scow was 3-2 there was no positive evidenoe that, Suzanne would break right away, ■one was playing confidently, hitting firmly, drawing warm applause from the crowd for any extra titbit of court-craft; but Mn. Mallory was doing all these things too, though;her artistry was not so good —and her hair did not need the attention ef deft French fingers! In the next three games, however, giving Suzanne the first set at 6-2 in thirteen minutes, the superiority of the champion was manifest. Not only did Mrs.' Mallory's steadiness deoline—and rather suddenly and mystericualy decline—at this stage, but Mile. Lenglen's pace increased. I do vnot doubt the first flush,of her coming triumph was on her. She' had crossed 'the channel's danger line, and had got her first glimpse of the white cliff*. '■■ - MRS. MALLORY'S SPORTSMANSHIP "Though Suzanne won the second set to love, this set was as long as the first, and, indeed, was as keenly debated. The first four games were all deuoe games; there was much running to and fro in them'; there were many fine redemptions; the exercise of Suzanne's magical art was given fall play. The backhand 'stroke which gave her the fourth' game brought Lord Balfour to his feet in admiration., I doubt: whether Shimidzu, that most agile redeemer, would have reached the ball on the side line. '. ' . '

"This was the end of,the fight, the end of all possible speculation, the moment when the .cable men, working New York in three minutes, spoke 'result coming.' Molla began to' miss easy ones, 'Suzanne to increase the speed and dominance of her forehand. At .7.26 tho American champion had put her last ball in the net. Her mission had failed in>it« main object—to beat Suzanne at Wimbledon. It had not failed in another respect, which some may call a« great—that of proving to English eyes that American invaders can play a losing battle with great courage' and the best; sporting instincts. Both ladies were cheered as they left the court, and the demonstration was no more pronounced for the one than tho other. How often Suzanne waa kissed by her parent 6 ami friends in the pavilion does not matter. French triumphs are incomplete without these imprints. I may add that Mile Longlen won twice as many points as Mrs. Mallory—6o against 29."'