DAVIS CUP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14208, 3 November 1909, Page 7

DAVIS CUP.

AMERICAN REPRESENTATIVES, By "Telegraph.— Press - Association.—Copyright. ,\% Brisbane,* November 2. Maurice McLaughlin- arid' Melville H. Long,'.the, American representatives in theV't'.t match for the Davis <hip, arrived to-day., They have decided not to take part In the ...... Victorian championship matches, but to practice quietly in Sydney till the cup con- ' tests start-. >• 1 ' -•' ' YOUTHS WITH GREAT RECORDS. ' " If the names; of McLaughlin' and Long are riot so familiar "to New Zealanders as r those of Larner, Beals ' Wright, Clothier, . and others, it is- for i the • reasou{ thatboth ■. . are from the - Western State ;of California, arid, though their ability .Was well' known in thbt State, it was only recently that they were enabled, by visiting New York for the national;. championships, 'to demonstrate „■ their ; powers by meeting. the great. players ' ,of the Eastern States. . Both are young players, about 19 , years old, yet one or > other has held every important:champion--, ' ship on the Pacific" Slope for the past two years. ' In 1906 Long caused a; sensation ; 'by . winning the Pacific _ States , champion- : £ f ,ship,. defeating i; James in the final round; and he followed this up by beating the same A ' opponent in the semi-final for the California ■; State : championship in* the following ►year. He passed James ;at the net- with v great ease, and was . himself almost . invincible in .; that position. <In the. final he.defeated ;; his elder brother,* H. .Long,. without diffi- ||] culty. " In the following -month he - cam 3 through to the . final of the Southern Cali - ' \ fornia championship . Without': losing a set, ' and then defeated Braly, .'the holder, in a' five-set match. V; McLaughlin also ' had a % Very, successful season in 1907, and began the following year with a win in the Golden: m Gate tournament. .-'/-A- writer,' escribing his match against' Janes in this event, says. . " McLaughlin served clean aces for nearly every point of his service' games,- and fairly C le ,up Janes' serve. Every stroke was a ;ill stroke."' Many"feared for Janes' safety, 1 but he. escaped with his life:" --In". June the ; young ; champions '• met in . the - challenge . round of the-San Francisco' City championship, * and McLaughlin won, 4—6, : 4—6, . ■ 6—5, 61, 6—3. They met again in the California State championship in 1908, and ■ once more McLaughlin was successful, winning this ' time •in , straight r set??. v McLaugh- v < lin also won the . Bay Counties champion- 7 5 ship in that year, while Long was successful • for ; the t Pacific Coast »title. In this. • event he, for - the first time, met players / : ' , \ from the Eastern States, ■ Wallace Johnson and : Niles being .competitors,: but both lost to Long, as -did' McLaughlin.''."' Last-- August is'hi the - two, great I C£liforman players set out |l§s for New York to compete ;in the national 1 )Vy championships, and on the v way - took .'part '' in the Western' championship, meeting 1 at Chicago. - In ! this v Long ' caused a sensation by going through the event, -in which' he seven 'rounds, without "losing a ; J set, the holder, Nat. /Emerson;'being de- ' vj feated, 9— 7—5, 60. 'McLaughlin reached the fourth round, when Jhe was | defeated by another Californian, S. C.""' , v J; § Bundy. At Illinois McLaughlin and Janes, ./,** * the Pacific Coast championS;' preliminary contest , for. the national''doubles championship, beating Dabhey and Niles, the Eastern champions, 75, 6—4,' 6—3, ; • and Grant and Pell, the Southern "represen- y.'ii • tatives, 5—7,- 6—2, 6—3, 6—3> = in-the final. American Lawn Tennis says" McLaugh- . lin,. the. Pacific Coast ; wizard;'' gave the crowd a I real > glimpse of'his form,, .and all : experts " agreed that his play was r little short of phenomenal. '. His services were shot into the Easterners' court with "the' awed of a cannon ball,' arid Dabney and • Niles were ;; powerless to - handle them, v ; Overhead McLaughlin was unbeatable, and' / /; after one long rally,'which J won singlehanded against both of the Easterners, the. - gallery could no longer content itself with < \ applause, and the exclusive' conservative .. Onwentsia crowd got up and. • cheered the work of the ,brilliant Californian.". On arrival' in. New York, Long - competed in the New York State championship in which* he beat Karl Bebr setless, but lo it to Ray- g|| mond D. Little'.in the sixth".round.. Then ' came the national championship, in which McLaughlin/after defeating six opponents, • succumbed to -that great player, Clothier, who; however, '.only won chv. 6-—3. 6—3, •; < 6—B, 75. •. -~ The visitors ; play a dashing, . attractive game, McLaughlin, ;in particular, being a terrific hitter. He has the true : . '■ American break service, - volleys well from all parts of the court, and places his ground strokes well. He is 6ft lin in - height , . and makes every use of his inches. Long has no' weak points. He can play from : the back of the court or at the 'net, and . : uses . good judgment :in Adapting . his 1 ' j methods to the style of/his oDponents; : - Australia, with New Zealand, will, it will" be seen, require to be represented by play- N ers in perfect form and condition to retain the Davis cup. "■ -V v -xV