LAWN TENNIS

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 74, 24 September 1927, Page 23

LAWN TENNIS

■V 'HUKA.1

L THE SEASON OPENS

NEW MEMBERS AT MIRAMAR

LACOSTE—WORLD'S CHAMPION

With September, the hard-court clubs of the city are all on the move in preparation for the season's fixtures. Already some clubs have declared the season open, attendances being, good in all cases. Hard practice will now be the order o£ the day for players who desire to excel this season, and for the generalrank and file who are always eager to improve their game. The Miramar courts have attracted many new members this season, and the ground committee is satisfied that it can place some very good teams in the field. It must be pleasing to the many hard workers who for many years endeavoured to find grounds for the Wellington Association to know that at last their good work has borne fruit. Casting one's mind back to past years, which must have been disappointing to the workers, the following enthusiasts' names come to the writer's mind: Messrs. Beere, Hurley, Denniston, Henderson, Redwood, M. Fraser, and F. M. B. Fisher. All did splendid work during their particular terms of office, and all worked with the one idea, that being for the general good of the sport and the players. . i The present season promises to be a I most active one in Wellington, and provided the summer is a good one, it is certain that it will be a successful one. Club fixtures, tournaments, aud interclub team matches will take up quite an amount of time. Then the Anthony Wilding Memorial Challenge Shield will have to be defended, and the Canterbury team is due here to play the annual match. There may be other matches to play, and witli the possibility of a visit from the French team, the sport will have an extra attraction to it by all concerned, as well as to the general public. France Again. After the crash of the United States champions in the Davis Cup contest, all eyes turned to the national singles of the United States, eager to see if the Frenchmen would again show then* superiority, not only as they did in the cup contest, but as they did last year in the national singles, when two o£ them played off in the final, with Lacoste as the winner. The cabled news that Lacoste, the holder of the' title'for 1926, had been defeated in the first round of this year's contest brought forth expressions of wonderment and regret, and there was general satisfaction when it became known that it was not a fact. The Americans made a bold bid to stem the rush of the French advance, and in a great measure succeeded, for they stalled off all the.invaders except I Lacoste. J. Hennessy (U.S.A.) covered himself with glory by defeating Coehet, the Wimbledon champion, after a five-set matcn, and he must have outstayed the Frenchman to win the last set 6-1. Hennessy visited Wimbledon in 1925, when he attracted attention by his hard hitting and general all-round play. This year Hunter defeated him after the loser had taken the first and second sets, so if can be taken for granted that he is not quite seasoned enough yet to claim a place with the champions. Tilden again proved hiniself to be still in the running by putting Borotra out in a 4-set match, and Johnston also did his share by putting Brugnon out, also in a 4-set go Lacoste and Manuel Alonso had a good tryout for two sets, but although the French crack lost the first set, he took.the next at 6-4, and won the third and fourth easily. "Little Bill" Johnston did his utmost to reach the final, but although lie won a set he could not stop a champion like Lacoste, who won by 3 sets to 1. Then Tilden was ready to take up the battle, and what a fight fit must have been with two of the sets going to 11-9, but youth held command, and Lacoste successfully defended his title with a 3-sct victory. There is no doubt that Lacoste is the French superman at the game, and as has been proved this year, the only Frenchman who could be depended upon to defeat the American champions twice in succession. A Champion's Retirement News of Lacoste's coming retirement from tennis has led to many expressions of regret throughout the tennis world, but there is at least some consolation in what M. Pierre Gillou, the manager of the French Davis Cup team, had to say about »tho matter. There was Borne talk of France taking part in the Olympic Games after all, but it was felt that the absence of Lacoste would be a serious blow to the French chances of success, although many good judges considered that France could hold off any nation except the United States, without Lacoste, but the latter is evidently going to spell ofT from the game somewhat, otherwise the French manager would not have 6aid, "We hope that Lacoste may at least continue to take part in the Davis Cup matches and in the championships at Wimbledon. This would not necessitate training all the year round, and would at the /same time safeguard national sporting interests." Lacoste notwithstanding the fact that he did not win at Wimbledon, can be classified as the outstanding player of the year, he has reached the pinnacle of tennis fame by his great victories in the United States, and. who would begrudge him his glory, for he has spent some years of hard training to get there. Just for one moment let the would-be champions of New Zealand think over those few words "necessitate training all the year round," as spoken by the French manager. When our players settle down to the serious training as followed by men like Lacoste then they can claim that they are endeavouring to do something. Some train a few days before their, matches, which actually is worse than no training, while others are always going to start to-mor-row» but few have any really stated' method of training. New Stars. John Hennessey, who defeated Cochet, was in the "try out" team to represent the United. States in the Davis Cup, as was George M. Lott. These two young players are considered to be America's hopes for the future Davis Cup contests Hennessey was ranked seventh in the United SUites in 1924, but failed to gain consideration since then owing to not playing m important events. In 1924 he attracted' attention by defeating Borotra in the National Championship singles at Forost Hills, and the following year ran Cochet to five sets in the Wimbledon singles Championship. Since then he has not played tho game seriously until this year, when he has come back with a great burst of- activity. Possibly he will now follow up his good performances of this year, and try to fill one of the gaps left by the failure of the older champions to hold off the invaders. In the clay-court championship singles, Hennessey reached the filial. Tilden, however, beat him in three sets straight, but the same week in I the final of the Illinois State Champion- I ship Singles, the younger player gave Tilden all lie wanted. Hennessey took the first set 7-5, but Tilden won the next two at 6-3, 0-2, only to find that the Indiauopolis youth had some kick left, and the latter evened the sets with a 8-G win. Tilden was now feeling the prenBiire, and it was anyone's match l-i^lit up to the last stroke in the fifth set. At Gall Tildcn's experience and cleverness -did the trick; and he ran out a winner, 8-G, but it was a touch-and-go victory George. Lott, the holder of the Chicago City championship singles, did not defend his title, but Hennessy stepped in, and won the event, defeating Emmett Pare in the final, 6-3, 0-3, 6-2. Hennessy met G. M Lott early in July, before he won the above events, at the AVestern championships, which were held at Dayton, Ohio lhey met in the final, when Lott won- af--ter a great struggle, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3. Enough has been written to show that the United States has some champions coming on, and as Tilden has still Alexander L. Weiner under his eye, America's chances of regaining the Davis Cup at some future date do not look so bad. In the Illinois singles, "Sandy" Weiner was beaten by Wray Brown, 6-4, 6-3; and Tilden put Brown out in the semi-final. 3-6 0-4. 5-7, 6-0, 10-8, so Brown must know a thing or two about the game. America is now feeling the loss of Vincent Richards nml no doubt the latter feels himself somewhat astray, yet for all that he still appears with the amateurs, as readers can judge for themselves from the following which appears _:in "American Lawn Tennis ':—"As an interlude between his' semifinal and final matches in the Metropoli-

tan Turf Court championships, Francis T. ! Hunter engaged in an exhibition match at the Westchester Biltmore Country Club on Sunday, 30th July, with Vincent Richards. 1 Two sets were played, one going to Hunter at 6-1, and the other to Richards at 6-4. The former was in rare i form, and ran nine consecutive games against Richards, who was playing very well." One wonders when Richards will be reinstated? Women's Team for Abroad. The Australian Lawn Tennis Association has decided to send a women's team to England in 1928. At present the idea is that the team will leave in February of next year, and will take part in the Riviera tournament, play matches against the European nations, compete in the Wimbledon championships, and also play Test matches against England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The return journey is to be made through the United States, but the players will be given more time there than in the 1925 tour. All this has bene made possible by what is known as the successful tour from all points of view of Mrs. Redmond Barry's team in 1925. It was mostly Sydney enthusiasts that financed the Australian women's team of 1925, and bo successful was the management of Mrs. Redmond TJarry, notwithstanding many obstacles placed in her path, that on the team's return home she handed over some £600 profit. This money has now been handed over to the Australian Association by the trustees on condition that it is solely used to send a women's team abroad. Endeavours are now being made to ascertain if a team of sufficiently representative class is available for the tour, and Messrs. N. E. Brookes, W. J. Daish, and R. C. Wertheim have been appointed to make the preliminary arrangements. Mrs. Redmond Barry should certainly again be appointed manageress.