LAWN TENNIS

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 120, 17 April 1930, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS

Things are looking up for British lawn tennis. H. W. Austin, who is bracketed first with Dr. Gregory in the British ranking list, has been doing well in the Riviera tournaments. In the Beaulieu tournament, which is regarded as a miniature Wimbledon, he got through to the final in which he met H. G. N. Lee, who is fifth in the British ranking list, the latter winning. ' Miss Joan Ridley, a somi-final-ist at Wimbledon last year, won the ladies’ event." The significance of these results is that - thirteen nationalists were represented and there were no less than 6even European champions among the unsuccessful competitors. ! Leo is the young" player who beat Andrews in the latter’s first tournament after arriving in England. Although quite a good player and. representing London in the annual match against Paris, he*only came to the front just before last year’s Wimbledon, when at the Surbiton tournament he beat four Davis Cup players oi four different nationalities in consecutive rounds. . In the final he beat Olita, -the Japanese champion, who during the previous year "had had wonderful success at tournaments all over England. He met Ohta again in the second round at Wimbledon and confirmed the form by winning three sets to one in . a splendid match characterised by hard hitting by two of the finest drivers in the game. In the next round he was beaten in a five set match by the Frenchman Landry, who was in great form at the time and after beating Andrews and Gregory, each by three sets to one, lost to Tilden by a similar score in the last eight. A New Zealand' visitor who carefully watched the tennis in England last season expressed tho opinion in an article in tho Dominion that Leo was likely to be the leading British player within the next few years, which seems likely to happen. The cable now informs us that he has joined Gregory, Austin and Collins in inis season’s Davis Cup team, which is described by Wallis Myers, the wellknown tennis authority, as the best for ten years. Lee. Gregory and Austin are all fine singles players, while the form of Gregory and Collins in the doubles at Wimbledon last season puts them among the best pairs in the world.

Another stage in the championship of the Palmerston North Club was reached when McDonald and Brown met to decide who shall meet Hankin in the final. After the heavy rains of last week the court was perhaps rather slower than either of these players like. Brown won an even first set by six games to five. Surely it is time that the club adopted advantage games in all championship matches. McDonald did better in the second set, leading 5 —2, and scoring with some good services and passing drives. He won the set at 6—3. In the third set Brown took the first three games and after that never looked like losing, McDonald’s service falling off, and his backhand, always his weak point, failing very badly. Brown made many mistakes, but his strokes had more variety and more power and he deserved to win at 6—2.