Thrilling Come-Back By Australians In Davis Cup Matches

Southland Times, Issue 23945, 11 October 1939, Page 11

Thrilling Come-Back By Australians In Davis Cup Matches

Australia made a remarkable recovery at Philadelphia on September 4 to win the Davis Cup—the tennis supremacy of the world—from America. Twenty-five years ago the Australians won it at New York, but the American pair, W. T. Tilden and W. M. Johnston, took it from Norman Brookes and Gerald Patterson at Auckland seven years later. This year Australia irelied upon J. E. Bromwich and A K. Quist. When this pair lost the opening singles to R. L. Riggs, Wimbledon champion and F. A. Parker respectively the challengers were in a losing position. As expected, they won the doubles. On September 4 Quist succeeded where Bromwich had failed, defeating Riggs in a five-set match after each had won two on end.

Honours were then even. The destiny of the Cup was to be settled by the meeting of Bromwich and Parker. The Australian scored a signal victory in straight sets, in which he lost only four games. This was the first' time in the 39 years’ history of the Davis Cup that a country has won the final after dropping the first two of the five rubbers. NO GERMAN FLAG

The flags of all the tennis playing nations except Germany fluttered from the top of the stands when play commenced on Saturday, September 2, states The New York Herald-Tribune. There were broadcasting booths, dozens of cameras, newsreel and . still, and seemingly hundreds of officials wearing badges. All this for the simple, rather foolishly decorative game of lawn tennis. It was a scene of charm and some emotion.

The man who caused all the trouble last year by foot-faulting Quist was present, but he was not on the line. For the most part the foot-fault judges looked the other way all afternoon. Still, Quist was faulted a time or two and the first time a murmur went up around the courts from those who remembered. But on each occasion his violations were flagrant, he was not upset, and he won both games. Apparently Quist’ is the only player on either side who ever offends in this manner. No one else was called.

The line judging on the whole was good, although Riggs made it plain now and then that he did dot think so. The Quist-Parker match, however, was played so far away from the Press box, for which the committee chose the worst possible spot, that one could

judge only by the fact that there were no protests from the crowd. Parker played with a handkerchief tied around his head, reviving a custom that one supposed had gone with Watson M. Washburn. He also was reported to have played in dark glasses, but it was too far away to tell.

' FINAL SINGLES The Vancouver Province of September 5, published the following comment on the final two singles, both of which the Australians won to annex the cup:— Australia’s scrapping, tennis forces climaxed a thrilling comeback by defeating the United States in both of yesterday’s final singles matches and winning the Davis Cup, emblem of world team supremacy, three victories to two. Adrian Quist squared the series with a magnificent win over Bobby Riggs, of Chicago, 6-1, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4. Then Jack Bromwich went to work on Frankie Parker, 6-0, 6-3, 6-1. And again, after 25 years, the Australians had captured the big trophy while the guns were roaring in Europe, and again a team of Australian lads prepared to go home and serve their country in uniform.

QUIST IS INSPIRED The drama of Monday’s play was wrapped in the terrific duel between Riggs and Quist. The crowd of 8000 seemed to sense that America’s hopes were wrapped up in the game little scrapper from Chicago, and they roared for two solid hours at his valiant effort. But in the end he had to submit to an inspired opponent. Quist said' he played probably the greatest tennis of his career. He was so exhausted at the finish he scarcely could stand. After taking the first two sets and then visibly dropping as Riggs tore him apart in the next two, the Australian raised his game to its peak again in the fifth and just lasted to win.

Riggs earned 59 points, one more than his opponent, but his 94 errors to Quist’s 83 cost him the decision. Quist’s slightly superior ground strokes spelled the slim difference. From the first point in the BromwichParker match when the Australian began bombarding Frankie’s forehand, the result was not in doubt. Bromwich won seven straight games to begin the match, dropped the next three, then ran 10 more in a row.