NO GAMES LOST.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20509, 10 January 1935, Page 4

NO GAMES LOST.

Perry’s Amazing Tennis Victory. DEFEAT OF DI STEFANI. United Press Assn.—By Electrie Telegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, January 9. The Australian lawn tennis championships were continued with the following results: SINGLES. Quarter-finals. Ouist defeated Menzel, 6-1, 6-3, S-10, 1-6, 6-1. Crawford defeated Moon, 6-0, 10-S, 62. Perry defeated di Stefani, 6-0, 6-0, 6-0. M’Grath defeated Turnbull, 9-7, 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. After losing the first two sets, Men zel appeared to be playing with an air of despair. Quist’s form was excellent.

Menzel won the third set by terrific driving. The remaining sets produced high-class tennis, but Quist obviously was superior. Crawford was an easy winner from Moon, though he was troubled in the second set. Crawford’s form now is excellent. Perry appears to have overcome his earlier disability and practically swept di Stefani off the court. WOMEN’S DOUBLES. Misses Dearman and Lyle defeated Misses Hoddle and Wrigley Rees*, 6-1, 6-3. Mrs Hopman and Miss Bickerton defeated Mrs Harper and Miss Bellamy, MEN’S DOUBLES. Turnbull and Quist defeated Boussus and Brugnon, 11-13, 8-10, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.

New Zealand’s Best Far Behind Australians.

(NOTES BY “ BASELINE.”) The best players in New Zealand would find it hard to be ranked in the first fifteen in Australia —that is the opinion of Mr Austen Young, who recently visited Victoria and New South Wales with the University team. Intensive and systematic coaching by paid instructors has brought boys to a skill sufficient to give Australia’s Davis Cup players a good fight. Not only are these lads coached, but positions are found for them in sports shops. They are encouraged to perfect their game and are given time off to compete in tournaments. The University team saw the international players in action in Sydney, also the first two rounds of the Australian championships in Melbourne. A great deal was learned. Barnett has improved his game. He retains his old ability to keep the ball, but his shots are now hit with a .flatter racquet. Mr Young says that Menzel. the much-discussed player who fell foul of the Queensland crowd, is a very fine sport and a cultured gentleman. lie has the fastest service seen, and his second has equal speed. lie gets the speed from powerful shoulders, but is slow on his feet. Boussus, the young Frenchman, has a novel service. The arm is not bent. Bromwich, of whom much has been written, is a left-hander with a right-hand serve. The impression gained of Crawford is that he never runs after a ball, but is always there. Fifty per cent of Australian women and a great number of the men play in shorts. The men’s shorts are shorter than those worn here. Strange to say, the junior players all wear long trousers. A critic watching the Rhodes-Wil-liams-Cant match and listening to the praise of Australian players by other bystanders, said: “Angas could play as well as Perry if he did nothing else but play tennis.” ss The competitions committee will meet next week and it is to be hoped that the position regarding the use of second grade balls in the inter-club competition will be clarified. At present they are being used in spite of the rules. It would not be fair to allow every make of cheap ball, but one or two makes could be specified. The competitions committee will make out the rest of the draw for the different grades. In a match that had a bearing on the Canterbury Wilding Shield, RhodcsWilliams played Cant. After two sets, the score was set-all. Cant led 5-3 and had two set points in the first set, but Rhodes-Williams took the set 8-6. The next set was Cant’s, 6-3. The games were very even and some of the rallies spectacular. Cant's backhand stood up well to gruelling drives, and he got numerous aces off it by hitting straight down the side line. He had wonderful control over the ball and won most of the long rallies. His fast drive is only reliable off a high bound. Rhodes-Williams knows when to be daring. Years of match play have taught him intuitively to pick the ball. He «ran bit hard without being too conscious of it. The team will be picked on Thursday night further trials. Pity the poor selectors. On Monday they got busy with the Canterbury team and selected six to play trial matches. Angas and Dymopd had not returned from holiday: Barnett and Barrel* were back from Australia, but where? So Rhodes-Williams and Cant, the only two that could be found, played a trial match on Tuesdav. The selectors, Messrs J. W. Sheppard, T. Patterson and J. Mercer, conferred and decided that Angas should play Rhodes-Wil-liams. Cant Pyniond, and Barnett Rarrer. Once more (’ant and RhodesWilliams were the only -two that could be found, so last, night they met again.

On Tuesday night the game finished setail; last evening Cant took the first (set, 9-7, and Rhodes-Williams the last i two, 6-3, 6-1. It was inspiring tennis. In the last set Rhodes-Williams turned on the tennis that has made him a tournament winner. Hike a surf-board shooter he got on the crest of a wave and rode it. Driving, volleying and serving he smashed down Cant’s defence. In the first set Cant, both forehand and backhand, was impregnable. He relished the speed and, if the game lacked variety, it did not lack thrills. Cant had a win over Rhodes-Williams in the senior competition. He had fought close contests with Dymond and 1 had taken Barnett to three sets. If he had beaten Rhodes-Williams he would have been in the Canterbury team, but he lost. In the case of the women, the selectors lost no time. They picked Misses Sherris, T. Poole, E. Rudkin and I. Poole. Miss Wake was dropped because of a lack of performances this In a ranking match played on Tuesday, J. W. Arnold beat B. D. Duffield,, 6-3, in the third set. The first set went to Duffield, but Arnold's steadiTrial Match. In a trial match arranged by the selectors to assist them in choosing the Canterbury Wilding Shield team, T. Rhodes-Williams beat A. R. Cant last evening, 7-9, 6-3, 6-1. Inter-club Draw for Saturday. The following are matches for Saturday. Unless otherwise stated they will be played at Wilding Park;— Senior grade—Cathedral v. Canterbury College; United No. 1 v. United No. 2, at United; Addington v. United No. 3; Cashmere v. Hinwood. Grade A, section 3—Cathedral No. 2 v. South Christchurch; St Albans v. Opawa No. 2; Elmwood No. 2 v. Ricearton Domain; Rpreydon v. Linwood No. 2. Grade A, section 4—Beckenham No. 2 v. Shirley No. 2; Woolston No. 2 v. North Linwood; Edgeware No. 2 v. Shirley No. 1; St Paul's v. Oxford Terrace Baptist. Grade B. section 2—Belfast, v. Elmwood. at Belfast; South Christchurch v„ Woolston: Waimairi v. Opawa; Addington Catholic v. Avon.side Church; Barrington v. North Linwood No. 2. Grade C, section 2—Cathedral v. Sumner: Fendalton v. Linwood; Redcliffs v. Heathcote, at Heathcote; Waimairi v. St Mary’s No. 2, at St Mary’s. Grade D, section 2—Prebbleton v. Windermere: Ricearton Domain v. Yaldhurst, at Ricearton Domain; Linwood v. Woolston; Linwood Methodist v. St Mary’s.

Manawatu Championships Concluded.

Per Press Association. PALMERSTON NORTH, January 9. The Manawatu lawn tennis championships were concluded in fine though windy weather. The finals resulted:— Men’s Singles—Coombe (Wellington) beat Charters (Wellington), 6-3, 6-4.

Women’s Singles—Miss D. Niehoils (Wellington) beat Miss Howe (Wellington), 6-4, 6-1. Men’s Doubles—Lampo and Cox (Wanganui) beat Coombe and Pearce, 6-5, 6-3. Women’s Doubles—Misses Niehoils and Howe beat Mesdames Anderson and Beattie. 6-1, 6-0. Combined Doubles—'Charters and Misp Niehoils beat Coombe and Miss Howe, 6-4, 6-3. ____________