AMERICANS ROUTED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 21 August 1939, Page 7

AMERICANS ROUTED

U.S. NATIONAL TENNIS DOUBLES BROMWICH AND QUIRT BRILLIANT AUSTRALIAN PAIRS TO MEET IN FINAL fU.P.A.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright) BOSTON. 19th August. The Australian tennis players, A. K. Quist and J. Bromwich, proved themrelves the world’s best doubles pair to-day when they overwhelmed R. L. Riggs and E. T. Cooke (U.S.A.), the Wimbledon champions. 6-1. 6-4. 6-0, in the semi-finals of the national doubles. The Americans were routed in 54 minutes of sensational play. Quist and Bromwich will meet their team mates, J. H. Crawford and H. Hopman. to-morrow in the first allforeign final in the history of the American national doubles championship. Crawford and Hopman reached the final by beating F. A. Parker and D. McNeill. The defeat of Riggs and Cooke was due to their inability to keep the Australians from the net, though they vainly tried every tactic evolved for that purpose. Lobbing failed and thev could not control their smashes with any degree of accuracy. MANY PLACEMENTS Charging to the net. Quist piled up the amazing total of 25 placements in 23 games. Bromwich totalled 21 placements. The Australians made 39 errors, compared with the Americans’ 48. but Ihe latter were hopelessly outdistanced because they w r ere limited to 22 placements between them. The Australians’ teamwork was superb. Their attacking plan was to place the first volley down the centre and draw the opponents in, and then angle severe volleys at the first opening. The volleying of both was brilliant. The Americans tried to lob against Bromwich, but could not discover any weakness there to-day. Quist took many of the deep lobs, but on mid-court lobs and close up Bromwich smashed for winners. Hopman is faced with a position similar to that of last year when he and Schwartz met their team mates in the semi-final. Hopman on that occasion deliberated for hours whether he and Schwartz should forfeit because he disliked running the risk of showing up to the Americans any weaknesses in Quist’s and Bromwich’s game. However, questioned to-night Hopman said, “We will all be trying.” The defeat of Parker and McNeill puts the Americans in a worse quandary. Hopman told the Australian Associated Press that he believed someone would eventually be paired wflth Riggs, probably C. G. Mako, as the American non-playing captain, Mr Walter Pate, is still a great believer in Mako’s ability. “On the present form—and Bromwich can he even better—the Australians should win the Davis Cup doubles.” Hopman said. “Few f American leading players have much idea of doubles, and Australian judgment and tactics throughout the tournament has been much superior.” The team is in excellent physical, condition. CLUB OFFICIALS CONCERNED The tennis w r riter for the United Press of America comments that the Longw'ood club officials were shocked at to-day’s results, as they fear the allforeign final will mean the leanest gate in years. He suggests that the committee had this in mind when it took the unprecedented step of allowing Riggs to play in spiked shoes, which spotted the turf with divots. Hopman is pleased w’ith the outcome. * but said that he and Craw’ford intended to give their team mates a good battle to-morrow. He and Crawford would concede nothing, as they would also like to be the American champions.

The title will go to the Antipodes for the first time since Norman Brooks and Gerald Patterson won here in 1919. Sir Norman and Lady Brookes arrived today from England and were among the gallery.

Though the Press concedes the Davis ; Cup doubles to Australia. the nun- ! playing captain, Pate, and Mr Holcombe Ward, president of the United Slates Lawn Tennis Association, state ; that they still hope to arrange a combination which will stand a good chance. They believe, anyway, that America has a good chance of saving the cup in the singles. ANNOUNCING THE U.S. TEAM Pate is not announcing the team till 26th August. He found a clause in the rules stating that it was not necessary to name the team till immediately after the last tie. As he wishes to keep the Australians on tenterhooks, he will not name the team till after the match with Yugoslavia. The New York “Herald Tribune” says there appears to be no one ready to question the fact that Quist and Bromwich are the greatest amateur doubles team in the world to-day, if not of all tirre. Mr Pate later announced that he was taking Riggs. Parker, Mako, Joe Hunt, Van Horn and Kramer to Philadelphia on Monday for practice. It is believed that the team will be the first four. Van Horn and Kramer to be a practice pair because they gave Quist and Bromwich such good opposition. Mr Pale will have a chance of studying the form of McNeil. Grant, and Cooke at the Newport tournament. OTHER RESULTS Hopman (Australia) and Miss A. Marble (U.S.A.) beat Crawford (Australia) and Miss B. Nuthall (England), 5-7, 6-1, 6-4, and entered the semi-finals of the mixed doubles against Riggs (U.S.A.) and Miss K. Stammers (England). It was the best mixed doubles match of the day. Crawford was splendid, but Miss Marble was poor. Hopman and Miss Marble later beat Riggs and Miss Stammers, 6-0, 6-4. They had too much power for their opponents. G. Mulloy (U.S.A.) and Miss V. Scott I (England) beat Bromwich (Australia) land Mme. R. Mathieu (France). 0-6, 6-4, 6-2. The No. 1 foreign seedings seemed to have the match well in hand: but Mme. Mathieu cracked up and Bromwich also had a let-down in the last stages. j