LAWN TENNIS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 57

LAWN TENNIS.

THE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP.

WONDERFUL AMERICAN PLAYER

WILDING STILL CHAMPION. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

LONDON, July 4. The career of Maurice M’Loughlin, of California, at the All England courts at Wimbledon, is one of the most astonish - ings things we have seen in tennis for some years. There were 116 entries for the All-comere’ Singles, and this new star, an employee of the United States Mint at San ’Francisco, has won his way through the w r hole lot and met the New Zealand holder of the championship. He is only 23 years of age, so he is good company for such previous winners, of King George’s Cup as Willie Renshaw (20), Ernest Renshaw (21), Wilfred Baddeley and H. L. Doherty (22), and R. F. Doherty (23). Wilding was 27, and today he met in the Challenge Match a player of great cleverness and strength who is six years his junior. The other player who fought his way through to the final was S. N. Doust, the Australian. M‘Loughlin and Doust had met before—Jess than a month ago in New York—and there was not much doubt as to who would win at Wimbledon. The American’s service was simply impossible; and all the undoubted cleverness of Doust failed to pull up the leeway he made against the hurricane service. He made a very brave fight, and he came nearer to winning a set than Parke had done a dav or two earlier.

There is no disputing the fact that the wonderful service of the American is his trump card. No man hag ever hit the ball harder. He puts on a lot of top spin, and as often as not the ball breaks. His first service is quite unplayable, but, as is to be expected, he puts most of them into the net, and has to send down the second with more care. He generally manager to put it on to the side of the court, with the result that the return is weak, and his opponent is at his mercy. In the first game Doust could not return a single ball, and he lost the set by 34 to 26. In the succeeding set M'Loughlin went off a bit in his service, and Doust put up a good fight, losing by only 29 to 26. But the American got on the mark again later, and his third set was almost as easy ap the first.

Apart from the service, which simply smothered the Australian, Doust played a remarkably cleverer game. He always seemed to know when to go up to the net and when to go back, and his backhand volleys generally beat his opponent. The scores were 6—3, 6—4, 7—5. _

After such a remarkable career M'Loughlin looked a good thing for the championship, and to-day’s game with Wilding was looked forward to as one of the historic games of the time. There were 10,000 spectators crammed into the tiny quad in the centre of the stands. Wilding took first service, and lie seemed to he a little nervous in the face of the great reputation of the American. In any case he lost three aces and then the game, and M'Loughlin had one to hia credit. Then all held their breath for the rocket service of the American. He began, as he continued, with a double fault. Then he sent down three very fast shots. Wilding played the first of them, and knowing ones could sec at once that there would be no victory for .M'Loughlin on service alone, as he had vanquished so many of hia former opponents. They were much too fast and strong for a nlayer who had never seen one of them before, but Wildingactually sent two of them hack over the net. M'Loughlin scored this game too — 2 love; but it was a mere trial ball. When he was serving again it was quite evident that the New Zealander had only to get the weight of the service and die would put up a good fight against it. The next game Wilding won after some clever side drives, and the fourth game M'Loughlin actually lost on his own service, making the score two games all. M'Loughlin is very weak on the backhand, and Wilding fed him up on that side, scoring time and again. Another weak point was his ground work, of which he got plenty. On the whole it was soon evident that the champion had quite a comfortable game on hand. He is himself so many-sided that when he had collared the' American’s service and could send more than half of the balls hack in decent fashion he really had the match in hand, and it was not till the third set, which ran to 18 games, that lie was really extended again. M'Loughlin was spending his energy badly on the service, and once out of three times he sent down a couple of faults. The game was not worth the caudle. It would have paid him better to send down something softer hut more reliable and trust to getting something off the rallies. Apart from the service there was a great oeal of excellent play, the young American showing groat enterprise in placing the ball. Against this, of course, Wilding had the advantage of his backhand, which he did not give a moment’s rest.

The first set stood at 2 all; at 6 all, and ended for Wilding at 8 to 6. The second Wilding had always in hand, and won by 6 to 3. The third was most protracted and exciting, and for a while it looked as if the American might win. Two all, 4 all, 5 all, and 6 all. Wilding then running out with two games. M'Loughlin was evidently feeling done up early in the set, but he rallied towards the close and finshed strong. July 9. Tennis critics here are almost unanimous in their amazement at the fine game that Wilding played in defence of his title of tennis champion against the Californian challenger M’Loughlin. “We did not know that Wilding was the fine player he proved himself to be in this match, though this was his fourth consecutive win in the championship. 5 ’ This statement, by the Daily News, generally represents the sort of thing the critics are saying. M‘T/Oiighlin admits quite frankly that

Wilding was just too good for him. “Perhaps my backhand strokes were not as good as they ought to have been,” he adds, “ but I played quite well, and you know why I lost as well as I do.” The American manager is equally generous in praise of Wilding. Nobody who saw the match can suggest any other reason for the American’s defeat than the obvious one that*he was outplayed. The question was decided, to my mind, with the first ball that M'Loughlin sent down. Wilding took it; and that was enough. M'Lough - lin’s last four serves in the final with Doust were simply unplayable by that great plaver. He was only able to graze one of them with his racquet. By the time Wilding had received four balls from M'Loughlin he had their weight, and as far as the service was concerned he scored as freelv off M'Loughlin thereafter as he would have done off any other first-class player. Those who remember the palmy days of the Renshaws agree that no match even then was the centre of greater interest. The ground was crowded, and it is said that people who had secured seats early were able to sell them for as much as £lO to enthusiastic countrymen of the challenger. The crowd was absolutely fair, and the game was played in a very sporting spirit. M'Lougnlin is a young man with no fireworks or side, and he has made himself very popular on his first appearance on this side of the water. There was one pretty incident in the match. Wilding had won a rally in which there was a doubtful stroke, and he wished to allow a “ let."’ The Umpire ruled, “ Vantage, MildLng and Wilding shook his head, indicating that he did not wish to claim the stroke. But the umpire insisted; so the game proceeded. The next stroke Wilding deliberately—so it seemed to the spectators —made a bad shot and gave the point to his opponent. COLD EYES FOR DANGER. “ The Daily Telegraph writer noted at the start the fact that Wilding accepted M'Loughlin’s four unreturnable services “ with the cold eyes of the man who sees danger and is prepared to face it. ’ He met the attack as only an experienced player knows how, and he was perfectly cool from beginning to end. The only anxious moment for his supporters was the first game in which he took service from his opponent. “By the end of the first set,” says The Times, “ it was clear that Wilding, standing exactlv on the base line, could trouble M'Lougnlin with his returns. But Mr Wilding had to play very fine lawn tennis to win the match. He Was not on the defensive. For a short time he faltered before At .Lroughlin’s onslaught in the middle of the third.set, and his overhead strokes fell below the standard of American and Continental players, but taken as a whole he gave as impieesive an exhibition as could be imagined of what could be- done with a lawn tennis racket by a man who wields it with skill and determination.” The Standard says no other playei “ pitted against M'Loughlin had taken the American’s lightning services with the ease and confidence trial Wilding did. He might have been playing them every day of his life, for he not only returned them but hit them and- placed them superblv, often catching the American at his feet and in two minds. His only weakness was in his overhead strokes, where the game was merely pat-ball compared with M'Loughlin’s terrific smashes. Otherwise he was perfect and played lawn tennis that no one had believed that he was ever capable of.” The match serves to show 7 that the New Zealander has come up again. For the last few years it has been thought that he was going off and had passed his zenith. In Friday’s match he was undoubtedly at the top of his career.

On Saturday Queensland (17 rubbers) dc fcated New South Wales (4 rubbers).