GREAT FINAL

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 62, 11 September 1933, Page 7

GREAT FINAL

U.S. TENNIS SINGLES

PEEEY AND CKAWFOED

MATCH RUNS TO FIVE SETS

ENGLISHMAN'S ENDURANCE

WINS

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. (Received September 11, 11 a.m.) ' NEW YORK, September 10. In a gruelling match at Forest Hills F. J. Perry (Britain) defeated J. B. Crawford (Australia) for the American tennis singles championship by three sets to two. Perry defeated Crawford, 6-3, 11-13, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1. A brisk west wind blew at right angles across tho court making the behaviour of the ball uncertain. Both opened with effortless, polished tennis, their ground strokes, their forecourt play, and general court covering being among the best tennis seen here. Crawford, however, was the first to lapse from tho standard of near-perfection, and in a long-drawn-out third game dropped his service after threo deuces. This lead of a game the Englishman improved to 3-1 only to have the Australian take the next two games with the allowance of but a single point to his opponent. Perry was troubled by tho wind when serving, and ho made two double-faults in the sixth game. He had made four in the match thus far. Perry went into a decisive 5-3 lead by breaking Crawford's service in tho soveuth game, and winning tho eighth on his own delivery. Crawford's shota now had too much or too little distance, and the same trouble, in th© final game made him lose his service and the set rather weakly. LITTLE DIFFERENCE. A fine shade of accuracy, the Englishman having more than the Australian, separated the players in the second as in tho first set. Tho Australian was -within a point of accounting for tho Englishman's service when upon the booing insistence of the crowd a. linesman changed a decision permitting the dcucing of the second game, but Crawford was unable to carry tho day. The players exchanged breaks of service in the fourth and fifth game, and then the score was, 3-all after the .sixth game. Crawford was within a point of capturing the Englishman's delivery in the seventh game, and in mock exasperation kicked the ball across the net after making the last of throe nets that cost him tho game. The crowd laughed, and Crawford' smiled. With such finely gauged strokes it was inevitables that the strong wind should be responsible for a great part of both players' errors. Thus far the Australian at no point had been really threatening. Pony had a slight advantage from tho tactical point of view by the fact that he "was better at the net, and gained valuable points by forcing the pace in the forecourt. It was a dangerous advantage which, if tho Australian did not overcome it, scorned certain to prolong the match, oven if not defeat him. He. broke Perry's service in tho thirteenth game to take, a commanding lcadj only to drop his.own-service in the fourteenth, when tho Englishman continued his forcing game. Incidentally, Crawford lost tho final point on a double-fault, bis first in the match. Tho same thing happened in the next two games. DRAMATIC TENNIS. Tho score was now 8-all. It was dramatic tonnis with just a touch of grinmess. It was already the second longest set ever playod in tho national singles final. As tho tally piled up the, Australian improved his chances slightly by advancing a little more resolutely to the net, but still the games alternated with service until Perry was leading 11-10. He was within two points of winning the Australian's delivery, but Crawford rose to ' groat heights to go ahead 40-30. and then, when the Englishman reached deuce, the Australian won tho game. Crawford in tho twenty-third game deuced it with an extraordinary get and stoodadvantage in with a lucky iiet-corder, then outed and finally broke the Englishman's scrvieo on the latter's doublefault and out. Crawford now led 12-11 and thereafter he. was not to be denied, and ended the set handily on his own service in the next game, Perry winning only two points. In the third set the men alternated with a break of service and then held service consistently for a time. A senso of Perry's aggressiveness '.per? sisted despite everything, and was due to tho continuous readiness with which he took the net at every opportunity. Moreover it gained him much needed points to wipe out his losses through numerous double-faults and other errors in trying to exchange ground shots with the Australian in the latter 's'strongest department. PERRY'S MISTAKE. Crawford's opportunity to finish off the third set came in the ninth game, but unfortunately it could not be conducive to full satisfaction1. for him though he was not to blame for the incident. Perry, who was playing erratically, on his own service, was standing 30-40. He started a stroke on the next point, but brought his racket down, apparently in the belief that Crawford's return was out. Actually the ball hit the line,.and tho linesman signalled it as good. Obviously' disappointed over the decision, the Englishman was sufficiently disconcerted to fall an easy prey in the next game. The fourth set was plainly an anticlimax. Once Perry" broke through Crawford's service in the second game, After a single dcuco the, Australian seemed to lost all interest .and plainly did not try. Ho simply netted almost every shot. Therj was no competition for the pc/nts. In the- fifth set the dominance of Perry through his net-storming tactics now enmc clearly into sight. Ho took a 2-1 lead, allowing his opponent only four points, and gaining the decision with angled, unreturnable volleys. The Australian then accounted for Perry's service, principally on the Englishman'? errors, but dropped his own simply because he was not sufficiently aggressive Perry was now leading 3-1, and this he increased to 4-1 on his own service. Crawford seemed extremely tired. Tie was netting and outing the easiest shots, gripping his breast apparently in pain, and several times stumbled when going after shots. He dropped the sixth game on service after deucing it and lost tho final game to love, outing and netting. Perry enjoyed the fruits of victory, being surrounded with photographers, while he held tho cup, and stormed, by autograph hunters with tennis balls and fountain pens in their hands. Crawford sat wearily in a chair protected from being disturbed by tho club officials. In an exhibition match before the, finals, Frank Parker, 17, clay court champion of America aiul one of the .most promising young American players

developed this year, defeated V. McGrath, 6-0, 3-6, 7-5. The American consistently played to the Australian's forehand and was less steady in his ground strokes.