COCHET THE CHAMPION

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 220, 15 August 1927, Page 5

COCHET THE CHAMPION

A BRILLIANT WINNER. THE LAAVN TENNIS FINAL. LONDON, July 3. Lawn tennis has now definitely joined cricket and golf in tho category of “funny games.” In the early stages of AVimbledon everybody was blind to the possibility of there being any finalists in the men’s singles at AVimbledon other than AV. T. Tilden and R. Laooste, and eagerly canvassing the chances of a confirmation or a reversal of tho result obtained in the French championship final of the meeting between these two outstanding figures in the game. But everybody was wrong. Both these heroes fell by the way—Tilden to Cochet, and Laeoste to his compatriot, Borotra. So it was an all-French final, after all, as it has been for three of the last four years atAVimbledon. WHEN GREEK MEETS GREEK. Cocliet’s defeat of Borotra was extraordinary. Otie had nearly taken refuge in the recurrent cliche which comes so glibly to tongue or pen and written that nothing had ever been seen like it. This would be untrue, because the apparent phases of tho encounter were similar to those of his victory over Tilden, but they lacked the variety of that historic match as much as they lacked its international flavour and its amazing alternations. The first two sets were frankly poor stuff. Each meandered; the contestants might as well have been playing a friendly bit of practice as fighting a final on the centre court. In both sets when Borotra was at 5—3 the opposition seemed to sharpen and a few sparks flew, but tho spectators were undoubtedly fidgeting and ip anticipation of that by no means unusual occurrence—a poor final between two men worn to smallness by a fortnight’s friction. Up to 3—3 in the third set the tune was pitched higher, but Cochet seemed to have imposed a minor key without the opposition which the situation might in theory have demanded. In the fourth set Borotra was at 3—l and at 4—2, but again dropped away. He lost tlie eighth game at 4—4 unluckily, and Cochet, cleverly using tho psychological opening, forced through for set.

At this stage the match was oue between two players of most dissimilar methods and' on an equality in one essential, and that the most important —they knew one another to a nicety. Borotra’s finesse for the forecourt and his movements when ho had gained it were evidently as much an everyday expedience as were Coehet’s cat-and-mouse tactics. Hence, each man’s greatness was belittled, and the game of necessity lost in impressiveness. One had to know these two ns well ns they knew themselves and each other to appreciate the exchanges adequately. A GREAT STRUGGLE.

This was ns it may be for tho initial four sets, but in the fifth Borotra put out into open attack all that thero was

in him. He reached 3—l, but conceded 2—3 with a touch of tiredness which heralded, had one known, the ultimate collapse. Physically his sand had noarly run out, and he was drawing upon his mental reservation. He had been volleying deeply and drastically, and his ground strokes had grip and ginger. His backhand, as ever, served him better than his forehand, and some of his passes down Cochet’s forehand side linfe found openings which were only discoverable even to the eyo of the onlooker when the ball had shot through them. Cochet, on the contrary, had become less convincing. Two double faults in one game seemed to foreshadow his downfall. Borotra advanced to 4—2 and 5—2, when lie was match point at advantage, but fell back to deuce and netted a simple forehand -volley to lose a game in which he had worked up to

deuce from o—4o. Cochet had ruffled him rather by courageously following up a second service just after saving match point. COCHET’S BRILLIANCE. ' At 5—3, Borotra serving, Cochet performed the semblance of a lawn tennis miracle and staged a most phenomenal saving of a sot. Five times again was Borotra at. match point, once at 40—30, and four times at advantage. It was not as though the game was a series of alternating gifts, as so often happens on similar occasions. Each point was contested,' and some of the flashing forecourt work at close quarters was of unusual brilliance. The quietness of Cochet was transformed for a time into a speed that exceeded Borotra’s. The combat left one breathless. Cochet emerged unscathed. At his first advantage after

the fifth deuce he secured the game, Borotra, with frayed nerves, ending with a double fault.

Cochet had had the advantage of a decision by the umpire when at match point he had appeared to hit a ball twice. Borotra appealed in vain, and was no doubt chagrined. Whether the reaction to comparative futility which slowly but surely ate in upon him had its .origin in this incident he himself can only say, and he is not the type of man to do so. The fact remains that he finished unable to address himself adequately to the ball. Cochet might just have left the dressing room. So he took upon himself the title which Borotra let fall. Even to such a momentous strategist as Cochet luck is necessary wlien both the forces and th.€ field are equal, and of a surety ht had it.