LAWN TENNIS Americans Retain Davis Cup: Four To One Victory

Greymouth Evening Star, 2 September 1947, Page 8

LAWN TENNIS Americans Retain Davis Cup: Four To One Victory

(Rec. 12.30 p.m.l .. . NEW YORK, Sept. 1.

The United States retained the Davis Cup today when Schroeder defeated Pails 6-3, 8-6, 4-6, 9-dl, 10-8 and Kramer defeated Bromwich 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

A small gallery in brilliant sunshine watched the concluding day of: the Davis Cup challenge round on' the Labour Day holiday. • Schroeder won the toss against Pails and won his service comfortably. He then broke .Pails’s service: by good driving and .with a . passing shot which left Pails stranded. American More Aggressive

Pails then took Schroeder’s service and, holding his. own, drew level at 2-all. Both players then won a service with the aid of aces.

Pails’s opportunity seemed to be lost when he dropped the eighth' game to 15 on his service, partly on his own errors and partly on Schroeder’s stinging returns. ...The American was much more mobile and ag-' gressive than Pails, and he took the set on a crisp volley which Pails could not reach. The set took only 18 minutes and Pails did not often take the initiative. .Schroeder won his last service to love.

Schroeder was worrying Pads . in his backhand corner and still forcing the pace, but Pails went to a 2-1 lead on his service when Schroeder fell for a fourth time in an attempt to reach a wide ball. Pails was driving hard and deep and playing confidently. He muffed some moderately easy returns, but a. backhand passing shot enabled him to break Schroeder’s service for a 3-1 lead. He then broke down on a 1 short return and dropped .his service. This was a costly error, because Schroder held his service to 15 and: equalised at 3-3.

Played Barefoot

The scores then, see-sawed to 6-6, when Schroeder removed his shoes, and played in his socks. After a few strokes this way, ..he removed,his socks and played barefoot and won the set, which took 32 minutes. . The first five games in the third set went with the service. This putPails 3-2 ahead. Schroeder was superior overhead and on volleying, and brought the score to 5-4, Pails still being ahead, and he went on' to take the set in 23 minutes, after an exciting battle which the long-de-ferred service break decided. Pails Fights Back

Taking advantage of Pails’s errors and with great drive, Schroeder took the score to 2-1 'in the next set, but' Pails won the next two games.. The match was being bitterly fought and Pails’s back-hand was swift and accurate. Pails failed in a. hard struggle to break Schroeder’s service game and' the score was 3-3. Schroeder was playing magnificently and there were were driving duels before Pails, with a stinging back-hand to Schroeder’s feet, broke, the American’s service to level at 4-4. . Schroeder was showing signs of fatigue, but Pails, still playing strongly. went, to 5-4 on a service ace. He continued to harry the American, but' Schroeder, tough in the .crisis, came back and took the lead to 6-5. The match went to 7-6, then. 8-6. Pails, serving strongly, .drove Schroeder out of position to take a 9-8 lead. Then Pails missed two set points on Schroeder’s service and gave Schroeder the advantage, which he took with a classic backhand drive from yards behind, the baseline .and left Pails standing. They, were .now 9-9. Pails had another set point on Schroeder's service in the 20 Ih game and this .time, won it. Schroeder’s first, service was foot-faulted and his second was out, giving Pails an intensely exciting,set in 50 minutes and levelling the. match. Kramer in Form ■ i The game between Kramer and Bromwich was essentially,a personal' encounter, but Bromwich was out to save ■what he .could from the Davis, Cup defeat. .Kramer, for his part, had his commercial value ~ also to consider, in view of his intention of turning professional after the na-, tional singles championships, arid he immediately began a high-velocity; barrage to lead 3-0. , , Bromwich took the next two; games, but the sheer speed of. Kramer’s game . gave . his opponent the minimum . opportunity,. and the’ relentless Californian was only, spas-, medically troubled to take a sr3.lead.i He was 0-40 behind on his service after Bromwich had whipped some

drives . back into his corners, but came through to finish the set with an ace in 19 minutes.

Kramer started the second set by breaking through Bromwich’s service. He kept pounding away with hotly-angled drives that had Bromwich scampei'ing. The play, although one-sided, was at a hot pace and streams of sweat poured from both men. Kramer, coming in behind his hard service, played the rising loall hard to Bromwich’s corners, sweeping the opposition, aside for a 4-1 lead. The great freedom and sustained, intense power of his play contrasted . with Bromwich’s unorthodoxy. He went for his/shot even when missing them in a way, that .Bromwich, with all his skill and variety, could not resist. Bromwich tenaciously saved the seventh .game, on his service, but Kramer ticked,off the set. in 22 minutes when Bromwich netted a smash.