LAWN TENNIS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 100, 22 January 1935, Page 14

LAWN TENNIS

N.Z. Championships PROBABLE WINNERS Analysis of the Draw (By Forehand.) The New Zealand championships tournament is made at once interesting, and robbed of its interest, by the presence of Fred Perry, Wimbledon champion, as a competitor. Interesting because there are hundreds of people who are keen to see such a great player in action against our players under tournament conditions; robbed of interest because his presence makes the result of the singles final a foregone conclusion. It is to be regretted also that C. Angas and H. A. Barnett, of Canterbury, will not be competitors. In their places are two Australians, Kay and Ewin, who wlil be able to give our best a severe test. Men’s Singles. The most interesting match in the first round should be between R. McL. Ferkins (Wellington) and T. Rhodes-Wil-liams (Canterbury). It is difficult to predict the winner. If it should rest on physical fitness and pertinacity, then it ought to be Ferkins. But the result is made doubtful by the fact that RhodesWilliams is the better stroke player, and maintains a much better court position and is more accurate. In a five-set match, I think Ferkins will win, because of his fitness.

The first round is usually the sorting out of players who have no possible chance of winning a title, and indeed, whose standard is well below average provincial standard. This tournament forms no exception. There should, however, be some good matches in the second round, and so the 16 ought be: Perry v. I. A. Seay; E. L. Bartleet v. G. A. Pearec; Ewin v. E. A. Roussell; Ferkins v. Cant; Knott v. D. Coombe; N. G. Sturt v. Martin ; Kay v. Chalmers; D. G. France v. KnUffit.

Down to Business. It is too much to expect that an out-of-form Seay will be able to give Perry more than a run round. The inatch, however, between E. L. Bartleet aud G. A. Pearce may well prove interesting, if the hitter, who is top player in Otago, can accustom himself to grass from hard court. He is a left-hander with a terrific service and smash and a fast drive. But. he lacks accuracy. Bartleet, on • the other band, knows how to conserve his energy, and lie does not make many mistakes. That he won the Auckland championship recently shows that he is still in fairly good condition. If shows also that the standard of tennis in Auckland has gone back. But Auckland is not alone in that. On paper it would appear that Ewin, from Australia, should beat Roussell. He has played for his State, and that denotes a fairly high standard. Roussell is not playing as well as he did a season ago. If it should be Ferkins to play Cant, Ferkins should win. On past performances it is clear that whoever beats Ferkins, whether it be Rhodes-Williams m the first round, or Bedford in the second round, will beat Cant. It is most likely to be Ferkins on his strength and fighting qualities, especially in a five-set match. Knott’s Play.

The match between D. Cooinbe ami Knott should .be interesting, in view of the fact that Knott, who with Sturt woa the New Zealand doubles championship, has for some seasons been living in Australia. His play is thus of unknown quantity. That it is as high as when he was in New Zealand is doubtful. Coombti at present is playing at the height of bis form, and he is fit and powerful. His strength and hitting ought to pull him through. Kay. of Australia, should have no difficulty in his matches, nor France in his.

The Last Eight. The last eight, therefore, should be Perry v. Bartlett, Ewin v. Ferkins, Coombe v. Sturt, Kay v. France. (Bartleet will have no more chance against Perry than iSeay had. Ewin v. Ferkins, or whoever may come through iu the Bedford-Ferkins - Rhodes-Williams group, ought to be a hard game, with the odds in favour of Ewin. The Coombe and -Sturt match, or Knott and Sturt match, should also be a good one. Coombe has always pressed Sturt hard whenever they have met, but the latter has always managed to win out in the end. France will have his most difficult match to that point against Kay. France should win.

This leaves the last four: Perry v. Ewin, Sturt-v. France, and the finalists, Perry v. France, and the winner Perry.

Women’s Singles.

The women’s singles is a fairly open field, made interesting by the fact that Miss Whittaker, from Australia, is competing.

The most interesting matches in the first round should prove Miss Rudkin (Canterbury) v. Miss D. Newton (Auckland) ; Miss Melva Wake (Canterbury) v. Miss I. Poole (Canterbury) ; Mi®s Whittaker (Australia) v. Miss B. Knight (Auckland) ; Miss Thelma Poole (Canterbury) v. Mias J. Ramsay (Auckland). The Rudkin-Newton match between two careful stroke players should be a long one with victory probably to bliss Rudkin. Mis® Wake should account for Miss I. Poole, though she will have to play hard to beat Miss M. Purcell in the next round. In the 'Whittaker-Knight match much will depend on whether bliss Knight has an inclination to try and win. If so, she might make things interesting, for she is a master of the all court game. One, however, is not reassured on Miss Knight’s form arid so Miss Whittaker should win. It will not do for bliss T. Poole to underrate Miss Ramsay and think she can drive the Aucklander off the court. She will find bliss Ramsay’s cut strokes, backhand and forehand, will have to be treated with the greatest respect.

The Last Eight The last eight I place bliss Dulcie Nicholls v. bliss Rudkin; bliss Melva Wake v. bliss N. Beverley; Miss Whittaker v. Miss Poole; bliss Marjorie Macfarlane v. bliss Sherris.

From now to the end should be some hard fighting. Miss Nicholls on experience and present form should beat bliss Rudkin; bliss Beverley should beat Miss Wake because of her all court game, though the latter is one of the hardest fighters in the Dominion, man or woman. The experience of Miss Whittaker should prove too much for the hard driving of Miss Thelma Poole. The match between bliss Marjorie Macfarlane and bliss Sherris should bp a hard one, and much will depend whether the latter has sufficient variety in her game to bring Miss Mae-fat-lane in from the badkline. Playing in her home town, with her hard hitting and fast running, Miss Macfarlane has a big advantage. Added to this her pxperie.nce is very great. bliss Sherris, however, has proved herself in Canterbury. Still I give the palm to bliss M«cfarlnnc. ‘

Near the End. The la®t four should be bliss D. Nicholls v. Miss N. Beverley, bliss Whittaker v. bliss Marjorie Macfarlane.

The first match will probably resolve itself into Miss Nicholls’s forehand drive to the corners, and her chop, against Miss Beverley’s all court game. If Miss Beverley can keep the ball away from bliss Nicholls’s forehand (a very difficult thing to <lo) and can take the net beltinfl deep drives to Miss Nicholls’s backhand she has a good chance of winning. But Miss Nicholls is playing now right at the top of her form and it may easily happen that bliss Nicholls will keep Miss Beverley defending on (he backline or chasing into ■ Ute corners. Ou experience Mi®® Nicholls should win.

Miss Whittaker, with her Australian experience and type of game should beat

the plain hard-hitting from the back hue of Miss Macfarlane. On present form, and in the light of what comparative idea one may have oi Miss Whittaker’s game, Miss Nicholls ought to win the final.

Men’s Doubles. There does not ■appear to be auy pad' to stand iu the way of D. G. Frauee and F. Perry in the men's doubles-. If they can reproduce the form that made them New Zealand doubles champion®, Knott and Sturt might be expected to spring a surprise. But they have not played together now for so long that they might be just a scratch pair, just as are so many others in the doubles. Victory appears a foregone conclusion for France and Perry.. Women's Doubles.

Quite good doubles pairs in the women's doubles are Mi-«es Marjorie and Marion Macfarlane; bliss B. Knight and Mrs. R. I*. Adams; Mrs. W. J. Melody aud Miss 8. Whittaker; blisses B. Gould and E. Rudkin; blisses Sherris and Wake; Mittses T. and L Poole; blisses D. Nicholls and N. Beverley. The strongest pair appears to be Misses Beverley and Nicholls,, except that they have not played together before. Miss Whittaker coining from Australia should be a good doubles player, and Mrs. Melody is playing very Nell in doubles- it present. Misses Gould and Rudkin know each other's play well, so do blisses Sherris and Wako and blisses I and T. Poole, but Misses Nicholls and Beverley will probably win.

Mixed Doubles. Perry and Mis® Whittaker should win the mixed doubles without any trouble.