GRUELLING TENNIS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 14 September 1936, Page 5

GRUELLING TENNIS

PERRY WINS AMERICAN TITLE BUDGE NARROWLY DEFEATED HIGHLY EXCITING GAME (United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) FOREST HILLS, 12th September. F. Perry (Britain) won the national singles championship for the third time to-day, defeating Budge, 2-6, 6-2, 8-6, 1-6, 10-8, in an exciting match which lasted two hours fifty minutes. As the score plainly indicates, the tide of battle swung from one player to the other.

It was a long gruelling match and the partisanship of the 13,000 spectators for Budge with cheering and groaning at improper times, greatly annoyed Perry. Although Perry won, Budge scored 28 games to Perry’s 27 and 187 points to Perry’s 180. In the fifth set, after Budge had broken through the Englishman’s service in the eighth game to lead 5-3. the prospects of an American victory brought the crowd to a high pitch of excitement. Here Perry tightened, and with a remarkable display of slashing tennis, won three' .straight;,., games to lead 6-5. The American - again rallied and forced the battle' to 7-6 and 8-7 and although several times he reached match point, Perry always beat back the threat and fin-. ally .crashed through to a 10-8 victory. . v . MISS MARBLE WINS WOMEN’S ’ FINAL ; . '. In the women’s final Miss Alice' Marble sprang a surprise, defeating "? Miss Helen Jacobs, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. If-'A she had won it would have been Miss -’.v' Jacobs’s fifth successive American-' championship, and her disappointment-".. was keen. After a shaky first set,' Miss Marble, who has been out of active tennis for two years because of illness,, played a strong, steady game which the defending champion could not successfully counter.

In the semi-finals, Miss Jacobs beat Miss K. Stammers, 6-4, 6-3, and Miss Marble beat Miss H. Pedersen, 6-1,; 6-1. SOUTH ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIP : i , SENORITA LIZANA WINS LONDON, 13th September. At Eastbourne, in the final of the South England championship, Senorita Lizana defeated Miss Dorothy Round (Britain) 6-4, 6-2.