U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 60, 8 September 1933, Page 8

U.S. CHAMPIONSHIP

CRAWFORD BEATS WOOD

M CGBATH V. SUTTER

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received September 8, 2.30 p.m.) NEW YORK, September 7. The fourth round of the United States national tennis' singles championship was continued. Crawford defeated Sidney B. Wood, G-4, 6-4, 2-6, 8-6. McGrath was leading Clifford Sutter 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 3-1 'when time was called owing to the darkness. The match will be finished on Friday. Shields (U.S.A.) debeated Eyosuke Nunoi (Japan), 7-5, 6-2, 0-3. The match between Crawford and Wood began slowly, breaks in service alternating. , The score stood 2-2 and 3-3 after Crawford had pulled his service out in a deuced sixth game. Service was held until the ninth game, when Crawford broke through the American's delivery and went to lead 5-4. He was within a point of losing the vital tenth, but deuced the game and then stood set point once before gaining the decisive point with a splendid passing shot. In the second' set Wood, who is the present Eastern champion, was sending down a crashing and whiplikc service which Crawford did not find too troublesome. The Australian ran up a comfortable 3-0 lead, but dropped the next two -games after making a valiant effort to recoup his own service and the game, which Wood won with some exceptional placements. Crawford proceeded to run his lead up to 5-4, and won the set with a service ace and a placement in the tenth game. In tho third set Wood broke through Crawford's service in tho second game and went into a 3-0 lead on his own service. Crawford's play was strangely "spotty." Both men were content to wage a back court duel, but Wood was accurate, while the Australian was forfeiting point after point with badlyjudged returns that had over-much or insufficient distance. He succeeded in winning the fourth and sixth games, but was unable to maintain his dolivery,, and in tho eighth game Wood finished off a set he was never in danger of losing. The fourth set was the chef d'oeuvre of tho match and of the tournament to date. Shouts from the gallery began with the first ball across the net and did not cease until the last net corder hovered ajid fell back, into Wood's court, signalling his defeat. As in the third set, both men were content to fight it out from the baseline, but cueh back-hand stroking as they displayed produced as spectacular tennis as in most matches where the opponents stand at the net and volley each other down. Crawford broke through Wood's service, and Wood retaliated. This occurred twice until the games stood at 5-5. Wood was set-point in the tenth game, but Crawford deuced it with a service ace and climbed out of danger. It was not the only vital point in the match from tho standpoint of score, but from a psychological consideration Crawford had not yet won the match. Wood had reached the threshold, however, and was unable to cross it. Crawford broke down Wood's service in the eleventh game after five deuces, Wood double-faulting for the last, point. Wood broke Crawford's delivery in the twelfth game, evening the score again at 6-6. Wood's troubles were added to in the thirteenth by many foot-faults, the crowd making the air hideous with cries of displeasure when he- lost his service and the game. Crawford stood 40-lovo in the fourteenth and deciding game, and Wood, with a last desperate effort, pulled up to 3-3. If his next shot had fallen in Crawford's court the American would have deuced the game and the end would have been delayed, but a net corder failed to go over it, and it was the end.' The crowd rushed out, shouting and throwing cushions on the court. McGRATH AND SUTTER. Two breaks in Sutter's service gave McGrath the advantage he needed to win the first set handily iir a few minutes. McGrath succeeded on every occasion he drove Sutter back to his base-line with a forcing back-hand. Once the Australian gained a volleying position he made neatly-angled placements for winning points. In the second set Sutter adopted the same tactics and produced an almost identical score pattern, until and including the eighth game, when he led 5-3 and was in a good position to run out the set in the ninth game on his own service. However, McGrath broke .through the American's delivery and delayed his victory. Sutter, however, was not to be denied, and he accounted for the Australian's service in the next game with some spectacular passing shots from his opponent's back-hand. In the third sot McGrath now made short shrift of Sutter's forcing shots, passing him af tho net, andi took the American's service and first game. The American then returned the compliment, and repeated the trick in the fourth game, which McGrath valiantly deuced, and had at advantage, but lost. Sutter now proceeded to run his lead to a deuced game. However, he doublefaulted and netted and outed to lose the seventh game. McGrath. then winning the eighth at love, the score stood 5-3. The American was 40-love in the next and deciding game, only to lapse into errors, but, although McGrath deuced it, he was unable to win it, the American taking it on advantage. In the fourth set McGrath quickly amassed a 3-1 load, breaking through Sutter's service in the fourth, although the latter succeeded, in deucing the game from 15-40. The Australian again accounted for the American's service, to give him a commanding position 5-2. Sutter won the eighth game to love, but MeGrath settled the. issue the next game, taking the final point with a service ace. The match was being played on the same terms throughout, each player trying to gain the net, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but never ceasing to try. The light incidentally was now rapidly waning, but after consultation, the officials decided to continue the fifth set. McGrath gained a 2-1 lead by breaking the American's service to love in the third game. He was on the point of losing his, own service in the next game, but deuced and won it from 40----30. Sutter now complained he was unable to see, and the match was postponed till 11 o'clock tomorrow morning. If he wins he plays Crawford in the afternoon.