AUSTRALIANS WIN

Southland Times, Issue 22042, 15 June 1933, Page 7

AUSTRALIANS WIN

DAVIS CUP MATCH CRAWFORD’S BRILLIANT RECORD JAPAN NEXT OPPONENTS (United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) London, June 13. In the Davis Cup match between Australia and South Africa Kirby (South Africa) defeated McGrath (Australia) 6-8, 6-0, 6-4, 6-2, and Crawford (Australia) defeated Robbins (South Africa) 6-4, 6-1, 6-0. Australia thus won the tie by three matches to two and meets Japan in the European Zone semi-final. Kirby led 4-2 against McGrath in the first set, when McGrath rallied and won the set, but in the second set the South African, playing with great dash, bustled McGrath, forcing him to make mistakes, and won in 15 minutes. Kirby’s severe serving, coupled with beautiful sweeping forehand drives, enabled him to win the next two sets and the match comfortably. This made the scores two-all.

Crawford quickly set Australia’s fears at rest, however. He immediately found touch against Robbins, winning the first set easily. He used much underspin and forced his opponent into errors. Robbins won the first game in the second set, but Crawford won the next twelve gar as in a row for _ the match. Robbins retrieved his position gallantly, but was unable to take the offensive. Crawford gave a really masterly display, winning the match in only 50 minutes. Crawford has been undefeated in a singles match since he lost to Hughes at the Bournemouth tournament a week after his arrival. He has now successively beaten Boussus, Satoh, Cochet, Kirby and Robbins without the loss of a set and with the loss of only 39 games, which is a remarkable record considering the variety of opponents, courts and conditions. The other matches in this tie resulted: Singles—Crawford (Australia) defeated Kirby (South Africa) 8-6, 6-1, 6- McGrath (Australia) defeated Robbins (South Africa) 7-5, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8. Doubles—Kirby and Farquharson (South Africa) defeated Crawford and McGrath (Australia) 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. BRILLIANT TENNIS COCHET MEETS HIS MASTER. CRAWFORD'S SUCCESS AT PARIS. Paris, June 5. In the best match of the French championships at the Roland Garros Stadium to-day—indeed, the best seen in Paris for many years—Crawford won the French singles title for the Empire. This was unprecedented since the opening year of the championships, 1891, when Briggs, an Englishman living in France, was victorious (reports the special representative of the Sydney SU Cochet at first exhibited all the skill that had rendered him unbeatable for many years, but he had met his master. He could not withstand Crawford’s merciless kills and amazing recoveries. Crawford, seizing the command, and never relinquishing it until he was triumphant, used all of his magnificent strokes with unerring instinct for Cochet’s weaknesses. Repeatedly he reached the net while Cochet was still running thither, and, once there, he smashed irresistibly. Cochet reproduced many of his wonderful strokes, but age has made his feet slower than formerly, and, as a result, despite his desperate, efforts, he was continually out of position. Powerful Service. The Australian’s powerful service seed even Cochet, and, although he carried most of the big guns, his delightful touch was the most remarkable feature of the game. His ground strokes, as usual, were well directed, and his cleanly hit backhand repeatedly caught Cochet on the wrong foot. Nevertheless, his victory was chiefly due to his success in returning the Frenchman’s forcing strokes, in which he made amazing recoveries, the crowd of 15,000 often applauding Cochet’s apparent winner only to find the ball still in play and Cochet hopelessly beaten. The crowd was unusually partisan. Their hopes had risen high for the first time when, after the games had gone with the service until 4-4 and each had captured the other’s to make it 5-5. Crawford double-faulted, enabling Cochet to go to 6-5. Then Cochet netted three times to make it 6-6, after which he over-hit, and Crawford led 7A gloomy silence settled on the historic centre court which has seen so many French victories in the championship and the Davis Cup as the terrific duel of wits and strokes reached a climax. Crawford played a marvellous stop-volley, the ball glancing from his racquet so quietly that it fell stonedead on Cochet’s side of the net, leaving him despairing on the base-line. Cochet’s Last Stand. The crowd ignorantly and vociferously booed Crawford, who, as a concession to their feelings, threw away the next point. Then he out-man-oeuvred Cochet on both wings, winning Cochet’s service after four match points. After that Crawford was manifestly superior, matching Cochet’s audacity with his own. The Frenchman began to increase his mistakes, enabling the Australian to play with ever-growing confidence and call the tune almost continuously. Nevertheless, Cochet made, a gallant last stand in the third set, winning his service, which he had lost throughout the second, and reached 3-4. The crowd uproariously challenged a line-ball which Crawford drove until the umpire shouted for silence. The Australian gained his final points amidst profound stillness, but the spectators rose shouting their congratulations as the Australian champion of France left the court. The critics emphasize that Crawford had never previously played so magnificently in Europe, and Australia s chances of meeting America in the zone final of_the Davis Cup appear brilliant. Crawford had the satisfaction of beating Cochet in form which resembled the hey-day of the Frenchman’s fame, with his marvellous strokes intact, although his fleetness of foot was lacking. Nevertheless it was . a crushed Cochet who faced execution in the third set.

Crawford, with a little improvement in his backhand, low down, could be regarded as the world’s greatest exponent of tennis. Miss Scriven’s Triumph.

Miss Scriven’s victory in the mixed ■doubles with Crawford and their victories in the singles achieve a record which is the more notable as. Miss Scriven is only 20 and was making her debut in Paris. She is ranked tenth in Britain and was overlooked by. the British selectors, but went to Paris on her own initiative, paying her own expenses. The official team even withdrew its moral support by leaving Paris on the morning of the final, which was played in intense heat and was largely base-line rallies. Miss Scriven’s added experience and greater variety of strokes, however, enabled her to reverse her defeat at

Wimbledon in 1931, thus assisting the Empire in its unprecedented sweep of the French championships. She is the first Englishwoman to win the title. The Australians are going to London to-morrow to obtain practice on grass courts in view of the Cup match with South Africa, commencing on June 10. S. N. Doust, the Daily Mail’s special representative in Paris, says: “When the score was 6-6 in the first set I thought it impossible for anyone to play better, but Crawford still improved. He gave a clever and exhilarating exhibition, especially his cut backhand deep to Cochet’s backhand, which were gems of perfection, quite bewildering the French wizard. Crawford is in such wonderful form that I doubt if Vines will retain his world title at Wimbledon. The tournament has been a tragedy for France, foreshadowing her loss of the Davis Cup.”