DAVIS CUP

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLII, Issue 20474, 20 July 1936, Page 7

DAVIS CUP

AUSTRALIA MEETS GERMANY INTER-ZONE FINAL United Press Association—By Electric Tel egraph—Copyright (Received July 19, 6.30 pjn.) LONDON, July 18. Play in the inter-zone final of t le Davis Cup competition, between Australia and Germany commenced today at Wimbledon. The singles matches resulted as follows: G. von Cramm (Germany) defeated A. K. Quist (Australia), 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 11-9. J. Crawford (Australia) defeated H. Henkel (Germany), 6-2, 6-2, Henkel retiring owing to indisposition. Quist went down fighting in a marathon match against the German champion. Quist fell heavily in the first game 1- the second set and damaged his ankle, despite which he disputed the lead right to the end A fierce wind made conditions unpleasant and tested the skill of both players, and it was not surprising that bad errors were sandwiched between glorious strokes. Great Struggle for Suprem. cy. Quist took an attractive first set after twenty minutes play. He dropped the second set, finding von Cramm’s serviae harder to nandle, the German taking five games : a row He won th- third and dropped the fourth, and then gave von Cramm a great battle in the fifth, the German finally prevailing at 11-9. In the ninth and ten games Quist held off five match points and later another four. Quist at 8-7 had three match points but lost the lot. The match lasted two and a half hours. Quist’s heroic efforts astonished everyone and both players received an ovation. Henkel was weak foUowing nis chill, and the decision to play was deferred as late as possible. Crawford in the circuntetances was always master of his opponent, who played an apathetic game, lacking his usual determination. His service was less fiery than ordinarily. Dr. Kleinschroth, German nager confirmed the fact that Henkel did not intend to finish his match with Crawford as he realised \e could C last the full distance. Quist’s Fine Play The critics declare that Quist never produced anything in England remotely comparable to his play in the singles. The closing stages will live long, with von Cramm plunging for winners, often raising chalk clouds, and more often fractionally missing the lines, and Quist saving match point after match point, by iron will, extraordinary sureness and activity, despite an ankle, which was so strained that it was found afterwards, when the lust of battle had vanished, he could scarcely walk. Each had the mortificatic.: of seeing the match points vanish in creeping netcords, but neither lost heart, an analysis showing a difference of fifteen points. The best indication of what might have been. Von Cramm had the advantage of extra severity and he plays with a smaller margin of error than Quist. . consequently he suffered more from the gale. In fact he always increased the pace when m danger, instead of altering his tactics, testified to his stoutness of heart. His service and the manner in which Quist took it in the fifth set, were memorable. Quist’s relief was apparent when many unreachable cannon ball services were providentially called out by microscopic margins.