AUSTIN NEARLY WON."

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 193, 15 August 1931, Page 19

AUSTIN NEARLY WON."

The Most Exciting Moment at Wimbledon. (Special to the “ StAr.”) LONDON, July 2. The English hopes in the men’s singles at Wimbledon were the three Davis Cup players, H W. Austin, F. J. Perry and G. P. Hughes and, though it was realised that Austin was set an ! exceptionally big task in meeting i America’s leading representative, Frank | Shields, it was thought that he might pull through. I low near he was to winning will be realised from the fact that, in leading by two sets to one, the score was called 5-4, 40-30, in his favour on his service. One point for match! It was the most exciting moment of the championships. Like most Americans, Shields is exceptionally strong in the air. He has, however, some weakness in his ground especially on the back-hand side, and Austin tried to exploit this. When he came to the service which he hoped would win him the match, he placed the ball extremely well to Shields’s backhand, and went in on it. I It was the right tactics, but, rather surprisingly, the American made a great passing stroke with Austin at the net and —” deuce.” What happened from this point was truly extraordinary. Austin not only lost this game, but he won only one more. Tne utter collapse of the English player could not be attributed to fatigue. His trouble was a psychological one, and he did not seem to have the capacity to fight any more. Yet at the finish one’s impression was that he was the better player.

Hughes also went down to an American player, S. B. Wood. He took the first set, but from this point his opponent gradually got the upper hand, and won the next three. Perry had to meet still another American, J. Van Ryn and, though it was a keen struggle, one set going to 8-6 and another to 7-5, he did not lose a set. Perry is a great fighter, and he had a good chance of getting into the final. His opponent in the semi-final was Wood. The other match was between Shields and the Frenchman, Jean Borotra who, although too good for his Japanese rival, J. Satoh, was unable to stand against the brilliance displayed by the American.