TENNIS

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 354, 11 September 1933, Page 8

TENNIS

American National Singles PERRY AND CRAWFORD TO CONTEST FINAL Press Association.— Copyright. Forest Hills, Sept. 9. F. J, Perry (England) and J. Crawford (Australia) will contest the American national singles tennis title in an allBritish final as a,result of the semi-final matches to-day in which Perry beat Stoeffen (U.S.A.), 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, and Crawford beat Shields (U.S.A.), 7 —5, 6 4,

Crawford stood 3—o to win his service in the first, game against Shields, only 1© have the game deuced. However, he pulled it .out 5 —3. Shields won the second on an almost unreturnable service. It appeared Crawford would have been contented to trade ground strokes with his opponent, whereas Shields was always the net stormer and made every bid to entice the Australian into the forecourt in order to volley past him. Crawford used the lob when possible but not with any great success, due to the , American’s height. The Australian chiefly depended upon the great length which he gave to his drives, and to his accuracy. They both lost their service, Crawford taking the sixth game to love and Shields the seventh 4—2. Both ..were netting and outing. The Australian had a bad fall in the eighth game in trying to get back to one. of Shield’s overhead smashes. After that he, limped noticeably. The Forest Hills courts this year are notoriously rough/

The end came in the 12th game when Crawford returned each of Shield's four services with a'fine chop and his opponent netted the returns. Crawford won four games to love in this set. dn the second set with the games 3—3 the Australian lapsed into errors, and, netting Shield’s returns from service continuously, dropped behind 3—4. The Australian accounted for Shield’s delivery in the next game and the score was 4-4. ...

The American was within a point of breaking the Australian’s service in the next game, but Crawford then displayed his full versatility. His flat, cut drives worked perfectly. Compelled to run up to the net, he smashed with strength and precision. He even went after Shield’s deep lobs with astounding nimbleness. He won the game and led 5—3. Shields served two double faults and netted twice in the next game to give the Australian the victory. In the third set Shields was within a point of losing his service in the sixth game, but in his first display of really bravura' tennis that left the Australian flat-footed, he retrieved his position. He was unable to. maintain the pace. Crawford’s stroking was like clockwork, and his precision. and extraordinary timing sense made his playing well-nigh perfect. Since the days of Tilden, Cochet, Lacoste and Shimidsu the Americans had not seen such,tennis as the Australian produced. He achieved the necessary break in Shield’s service in the eighth game and won the final game to love.

Crawford walked off the courts placidly sucking half a lemon, while the largest crowd that had ever seen a tennis match in America, probably 20,000, for which extra grandstands had been erected on the stadium court, cheered and hurled their seat cushions in the air.

Perry, hammering Stoeffen’s backhand, the latter’s weakest shot, broke through Stoeffen’s service in the eighth game to give him the first set on the next game and his own service. In the second set the American proved no match for the Englishman. With the score at s—l Perry had allowed Stoeffen only nine points. Although the Englishman lapsed into errors in his service game, the eighth in the set, Stoefen’s backhand was so continuously bad that he was unable to win when victory ,was almost handed to him. His debacle in the final set' was even moro complete. Philadelphia, Sept. 9. Joan. Ridley, England, to-day won the Middle States women’s tennis championship, defeating Alice Francis (New Jersey) 6-2, 6-2. Joan Ridley and Alice Francis won the women’s doubles championship, defeating Anne Page Marion and Cecilia Rcigel, Philadelphia, !)—7, 6—l. Joan Ridley reached the title round of the singles event with a 6—o, 6—3 victory over Anne Page.