LAWN TENNIS NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 256, 26 September 1935, Page 2

LAWN TENNIS NOTES

WORLD RANKING LISTS. Tlio world’s lawn tennis season is generally reckoned to end on 30th September in each year, and before long many critics will be publishing' their ranking lists of the “World’s First Ten.” The accepted authorities are A. Wallis Myers (Britain), Pierre Gilion (France) and S. Wallis Merrihew (U.S.A.), and there have been so many variations in the form of the leading players that there are likely to be great differences of opinion as to their respective merits. Mr Myers is perhaps a little rash in making his lists so soon, and, as lie himself says, his lists arc sure to be criticised.

With regard to the first place there will be unanimity in selecting Perry, but although Mr Myers places Crawford second, above von Gramm, on wlnit he terms the conclusive evidence of his having beaten Perry three times out of four on turf courts, it seems unlikely that others will ho of the same opinion. When Crawford won in Australia, Perry was mentally upset by the fuss made over the question of his probable defection to professionalism, and at Eastbourne, just before the final of the Davis Cup, Perry was obviously not taking matters seriously. At Wimbledon, which is the supreme test, von Gramm gave Perry a very much harder task tiian Crawford did. It was the same in the Flench championships, arid though these were played on hard courts Mr Myers seems to forget that the world’s ranking is compiled on records of hard courts as well as turf.

It is not clear why Allison has been placed above Austin. He won the U.S.A. championship from Perry, who was not at his best, but Austin was not there. At Wimbledon Austin was knocked out in the quarter-finals by Budge, whom Dir Myers places sixth, while Allison was beaten in the first round by McGrath, who is eighth on Mr Myers’ list. When the two met in the final of the Davis Cup Allison was beaten by Austin as well as Perry. With regard to Boussus, lie has had a moderate season on the whole, with no notable successes and seems lucky to be included in the list. Little was seen of Wood, who was 'Wimbledon champion when only nineteen, but ho is one of the finest stroke players of the day. With regard to the women there will bo general agreement that Mrs Moody and Miss Jacobs deserve the first two places. Both were beaten at times, but Mrs'Moody was short of practice after her two years’ absence from the game, while Miss Jacobs only lost to Mrs Moody at Wimbledon, to Miss Stammers in the Wightman Cup and to Mine Sperling in the French championship. But it is doubtful whether Miss Stammers deserves third place in spite of her brilliant form at times, her victims including both of the American ladies placed above her, as well as Misses Round and Seri veil, who were then first and second in the British list, as well as first and fifth in the world’s besi ten. On the other hand she was beaten by Mrs Pittman, Senorita Lizana, Miss Round (twice), Mile Pannetier, Mine Sperling, Mrs Arnold (twice) and Mrs Fabyan. Madame Sperling, placed fourth, has a far more consistent record. From Wimbledon last year till she was beaten by Miss Jacobs at Wimbledon this year slie had not lost a match, and she holds the championships of France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium, surely a better record than that of Miss Stammers.

Mi's Fabyan, placed fifth, was America’s third choice for the Wightman Cup and won her singles and doubles. She was in the final for the U.S.A. championship after heating Miss Stammers in the semi-finals.

Miss Round is placed sixth. Admittedly she has had a had season, hut she won two of the three times that she met Miss Stammers, winning by 1-1 games to 6 at Molbury and by 12 games to 2 at Beckenham. Mrs Arnold at seventh seems a bit low. Very little had ever been heard of her till she was chosen as America’s second string, above Mrs Fabyan, in the Wiglitnian Cup, in which she beat Miss Stammers, whom she has again accounted for in the final of the Pacific South-West by the convincing score of 6—l, 6—4. Mmo Mathieu, the French No. 1, ranked seventh, was beaten in the final of the French championships by Mine Sperling and by Mrs Moody at Wimbledon. Previously she had won sixteen tournaments in succession, a remarkable feat even though her opponents were not in the world’s class. Miss liartigan owes her position at ninth to the fact that for the second year in succession she reached the semi-final at Wimbledon, beating Miss Round on the way. She won at Scarborough from a poor field, beat Mrs Pittman and Mrs King, Britain’s third choice for tho Wightman Cup) at Surbiton, and was beaten by Senorita Lizana at Queen’s Club. Miss Scriven, tenth on the list, has fallen off very considerably from her form of last year, when she won the French and Hard Court championships and was second to Miss Round in the British list and fifth in the world’s list. Others who would no doubt be considered are Mrs King (Britain), Miss Babcock (U.S.A.), Mile Jedrzejowska (Poland), Mile Cepkova (Czechoslovakia), Milo Payot (Switzerland) and Senorita Lizana (Chile) who beat Miss Stammers' in tho Tally-Ho tournament 6—4, 6—o, and won at Hurlingham as well as the championship of Scotland.