LAWN TENNIS

Evening Star, Issue 19775, 27 January 1928, Page 11

LAWN TENNIS

[By Recoudeb,]

THE FRENCHMEN’S .VISIT. Local news is held over this week to give space to a description of a visit to Wellington to see the Frenchmen action. A fair number ot Canterbury players made the trip across, and one noticed on the ferry boat Mr and Mrs W. M. Seay and I. Seay, Mr and Mrs F. J. Murray, D. Glanvillc, Angas, T. WPatterson, Louglman, Sheppard, B. Browning, and Misses Ward and Andrews. The most powerful impression one got of the play of the visitors was the unorthodox manner in which they produced their ground strokes. For style in making the forehand drive the Frenchmen had to give way to the New Zealanders every time. Borotra makes a more or less text book forehand drive, but plays his backhand shot close to his body—almost under his armpit, as one person described it. Boussus almost faces the net for his forehand drive, and his footwork appears faulty, but he gets plenty _of pace, being especially deadly on high bounding balls. Ho appears to throw; the head of the racket at the ball, which he hits tvell in front of his body.

v. great deal of cut is employed by til l three visitors in executing the backhand drive. Borotra took the ball fairly high in the bound, but both Boussus and Brugnon allowod_ the ball to drop fairly low' before hitting right across it. Very often it looked impossible for tlic ball to clear the net, but over it would go, with the spin on it, making it difficult for the other map. The visitors’ services were not impressive. Borotra has a somewhat labored delivery of the American variety, and bis back foot appears to swing over the line bclorc the moment ol impact practically every time. He explains that the footfault rule is not very rigorously observed in Franco; hence he and his compatriots have got into slack habits. He stated that footfaultiiig did not give them any, advantage, but one certainly got the impression that the swing over the line with the back loot gave tbe Frenchman an unfair start in his rush to the net, Boussus stood on the lino practically every time when serving, but, as he did not taks the not on his service in the sing’.', tin.- was not giving him an advantage. He bits tbe ball with a kind of swoop, rather than with the orthodox hit, and gets lots of pace off the ground with his first service, but bis second delivery appears lamentably weak for an international player.

Brugnou's deliveries were undoubtedly tho most impressive. He used a i'airly slow service with a. tremendous break to tho backhand most of tho time, and with this service he had Ollivicr in difficulties all the time when playing the New Zealand champion. As a variation of this service, he used a fast one, straight down the centre line, and this frequently caught his opponent out of position, -waiting for the other delivery. Against BarfcIcet Brugnon used the slow-hrcak service to the backhand at first, but the New Zealander ran round them and hit them so hard that the Frenchman frequently could not get near his returns. Ho consequently abandoned this type of service in favor of a I aster one that kept low, getting bettor results thereby.One was struck with the almost entire absence of angle volleys* even, in the double. There was practically none of the fast service—quick rush to the net and fast untakoable volley—sequence that one might have expected, jucl rr irom what one hud, read of the D Frenchmcn. Many of the spectators expected Borotra to volley so hard that his opponents would hardly _eea the ball. This was impossible against the brand of tennis being served up by Bartlcct, and it was quite common to see the Frenchman forced to volley lour or five drives defensively in one rally before getting a. chance to make a winner. Borotra made his volleying fairly easy by his wondenul anticipation‘and agility at the net. He played clo.se iu in his single, hut was ireqneully caught on the service line when running iu iu the double, and nobody in the world can volley for winners from that position. When at the net all the Frenchmen punch their volleys, goiim for depth and speed rather than lor angles. One could S. N. Brown volleying many of the drives tho Frenchmen were up against at shaip angles for winners, but ono cannot recall a single sharply-angled volley from anv of the visitors, unless off tho simplest of halls. Perhaps they consider tho shot risky, in view of tho chance of a sideline shot, if tho Opposition reaches the volley, but if S. N Brown and others ran make a. suc<Vss of Ibis shot (admittedly against weaker driving) one is surprised that it was not more exploited by the visitol|3("iiissiis was Ibo worst offender at hanging bark on bis service, and in tho double iiia do practically all bis volleys rroni tho &omro line. J*c ceitaiiliy volleyed beautifully from ibis position, picking flic fastest drives practically off Ids toes times alter time, and volleying them deep. One would like to have seen Knott and Sturt following in their drives to the net. Invert though Boussus was running in, for the volley from the Frenchmen was necessarily an upward and thcrclorc a defensive one, and had the New Zealanders gone in on their drives they would many times have had tlio opposition at their,

inei'L-y. Urn; of t!ic most on Island m2 strokes possessed by any ol the visitors was Brngnon’s forehand volley drive. He would receive a last drive down bis forehand line, when standing a littlo inside iho service line, and, reaching well over, would volley drive the ball on the full at tremendous speed, pull* ing it well across court into tho fore* hand corner, usually yards away front his opponent. It was no jlnkc, for^ho did two in one game against Ollivier* and several against Bartlcct, < Perhaps the most exciting Incident of the meeting was Bartlcet’s fighting finish against llorolra. The Frenchman had had a hard light for three sets, losing one of them, but was running away with tho fourth set, loading 5-0 and 40 love. A good first service, followed by his characteristic rush to the riet,lookcd ns ii it would end the match* but a great forehand drive forced the visitor to volley into the net. , Art equally good service to tho backhand saw the Aucklander cleanly pass tho' Frenchman across court, as he ran in* and the score was 40-30. A tremendous drive off a second service again passed the Frenchman, who could not evengot his racket on to the ball, and ilia’ score was donee, llartlcot having suf-i vived three match points in succession.Ho lost tho next point, but once again! survived a match point with a tcrrifßo forehand drive, and then went on to' win the game with two beautiful drives that forced his opponent to net. HA received an ovation for his great_showing in this game; but it was his last effort, for, though he reached 30 all on his own service next game, Borotra took the next two points for match. Borotra’s method of dealing with lobs over his head was absolutely unique.Seeing that lie could not reach a lob,lie would turn round and rush for the! hack line, to the right of the line of# flight of the ball. When nearly up to' the ball (which was, of course, still in' the air) he would leap straight forward,past it, jumping perhaps eight or ten feet, and, having landed, would swing.

Isoond into the ball, and, not content With lobbing it back, would drive it hard. He did a “beauty” against Knott and Sturt, Ids return drive down itbe line leaving Knott standing by yards. It is a most spectacular shot, jmd though he would probably only get one in two or three attempts it is usually a winner, whereas a lob would not give such good results. Borotra was most impressed with the itandard of play in the dominion, havfrig a special word of praise for Bartleet and Sturt. He considered that New Zealand should enter a team in the Davis Cup at the first opportunity available, feeling sure that their players would defeat many of the teams in the European zone. Next week the French players will be ikreated in more detail, with notes on inane of their peculiarities: while a word will also be said on the play of the New Zealanders. The Canterbury championships are hjeiijg played at Wilding Park this week. G. Ollivier is an absentee, being n competitor at Masterton, and the finsfl will probably be fought out betw&n Seay and Angas, with W 7 alker Hanville the only others likely to Kan upset. Fulton is playing with Id partner, H. S. Wilkinson, in ’'the doubles.. and they meet Goss and Greenwood, ©x-doubles champions of : New Zealand, in the first round. Miss j fjpeifs appears almost certain of a triple