AMERICANS MUCH SUPERIOR TEAM

Chronicle (Levin), 28 December 1946, Page 5

AMERICANS MUCH SUPERIOR TEAM

(By Jlarry Hopnntu, Former Australian Davis Cup Captain.) Keceived Friday, 9.10 p.m. MELBOUKNF, Dec. 27. The Americans proved a mucli superior team. Their two singles wins yesterday and their doubles win today were decisive. 1't took Australia 25 years to win the cup and on the perforniaiice of the American team yesterday and today, it is likely there wil-J be a long gap again before we see the cup (lefeuded in Australia. Kramer aml Sehroeder, who overpowered Quist and Bromwich today, were moj-e decisive in every department of the game and only at oue stage, for a very brief period in the second set, were the Australians ahle to show forjn to give the gallerv any hope. Kramer looked the best- of the four but I think Sehroeder 's heavily topped f'orehaud and elemeiit of surprise in his volley, did nmch to unsettie the Australian pair. AlthougTi full credit goes to the Americans for tlie way they made every post a winney, they "weren'l

meeting Ihe Bromwich and Quist oi' their lievdav. Tlie Australians played well but wercn't the giantkillers of 1939-40. Perhaps the outstanding im]>ression of today 's doubles was Kramer 's cxcellent service. He won all his service games and only once looked like losing it. The Americans' serving was oue of the reasons why the Australians didn't play as well as we were accustomed to see them several years ago. Tlie maia reason for the supreuiacy of Quist and Bromwich in Australian doubles of recent years has been the abilitv to take service early, return it sliort and iow at the server's feet and then step in quickly for a chance to make a volleying kill. Today the service of botli Americans prevented them doing tliis. Kramer had them forced back near the baseline all the time he was serving and although they were able to .step in on some of his deliveries, they aiways took a risk in doing this because of his ability to swiug his service about. Another upsetting influence was the Americans ' down the centre t-actics. They found the Australian^" a little u'11certain in their responsibility for cove.riiig the centre of the court. The Australians lost at least a do/.eu important points through failnre by oue or tlie other to cover down the centre lrives because of their indecision as to wliose shot it sliould be. Tlie Americans were an entircly dififcrent cornbination to the pair which lost to Bromwich and Long in a semi-final of the Yictorian cliampionsliips earlier this rnonth. The extra practie.e they had since then and their ability to lift their game for the crncial test, ma-de tlieni a- very formidable combination to- , day, 1