TENNIS.

Hokitika Guardian, 12 September 1924, Page 3

TENNIS.

[R EUTEItS Tl'.t.r.GItA.MS. 1

(Received this day at 0.25 a.i11.) XKW VOliK. Seienii er 11

In (outlast to the ovi-: | i.wei inp heal in llie ic cut Davis ( nj. matches. Patter, >n and Tilden hepan | lay : t (-ermaii'tiiw 11. I’liila ‘el] Ilia, ill la iplit slllishii!(- i<-iii; ered with a eool breeze. ’I he ~|>e; taloi s wore top coats and sweatci-x.

I’attci.'-.-n was heat u in the set vice, hut In- cut his serviie and this pioved cole live and lie amassed a two-love lead. hriaking tliroiigli Tihlvii's serviie at 1-1. T iltlt'ii. like must Ameri an tennis playel ; who know I ’at tei.son’s style, drove every .shot to the Anstialian’s hack-liand. I’ntlera-ii won after standing Tihlin won the tiiirth eltir some diilieuhy. lie ever.ei! ihe s oi e t-i till <all, I real;inp I'att."•smi's servii e. Ilis In • • -lin n:l drives xvertremendous, Inn I’alters.ui’.s ground strokes were ini; i-rft et. He found the ball rolling si.ltly oil' his rae(|ilet while T title ll was gelling liis I■ • 11 ut!i and |,iic.'of all hi; shots, Patterson won the nintli, his serviie bringir.o ares. Tilden had little difliuilty in rlinrliing the tenth, the crucial pame. which went to deice .several times; hut Patterson made seveial errors pe:mittinp the chain 1 ion to j.ull out the pain.- and tin- set.

r l il l :i win pelting stalled. ’ ut liis siij.criority was then ch-arly evident, L. the second s-.-t Til'en hanin'ered the Anstral-an’-, haek-hand iiiniiereilull.v and handled pattcrs-in’-, i-a-ivirt- with llie greatest ease, playing a hack court panic, making it impossible for I’atterill to up] roach the net. Patterson, Tsjnp to ;;reat heights. tore through 'I il<t<• 1 1 *s serviie in tin- sixth at 1-2. hut it was (.nly a teiiipolary xj.iiri as lie sUKiimhed the next -.-ame. loosing Ins serviie at dene and pi-, inp the American a \ refonidernnt lead. Tilih-n won taking the earth panic on his own • -rvii e.

In the third set both n;.-n | lave.l a hack (oiirl pome. Tilden never inmiiip to more than to mid-iim t and there driving cl- cj'ly. I’attersou made numerous e: ini's in drivinp wildly or lolling iiis shets into the net. lie missed even those op;oi tuuities w hen he r-mid have api.l'o.'u liril cl. ;" t-i the net by oiltilip. Tilden b 111;" I a few times, but ilieso were earue.l joints lor Ibitter-'oi. who killed them over-head. Pal ter.-un lex* his .service in the tid'd set and 111ilead Tilden he'd. Batter-on was hemp badly out; l.iycd. not be ailsc that In- v.ux not | lay inp strongly and as a matter of but la- was pettinp his best clfoi'l in. but Til-den's shrewdly calculated mniiapcmeut I'oncd the Australian lo e: nil's, hiltiup In I'a.tierMUi's bn, kin nil or keeping him racing lui.-k and I'crt!i on He- back line. I’attersan h— l 11 1- service in the seventh and the end being in sight lie fmiplit di-xj:.--r.".tely but inell'eetively. Tilden. playiup faultlessly, showed his mastery of his 1 aekhand with little Irajcrlery and his I- .v forehand weiihl re.|i:ire nothinp less than a genius in order to shisossliilly handle them.

Patterson foupht right to the very -inish, but it was the sliphtesl matter lor 'I ildeii t-i run -oil in the eighth wliieli was won on his xervi-e. NVHIIK. Scot. 11. The x.ni'itatoi'K stand, boldinp ten thousand, was nearly tilled when the ■second match began aa-.l Bi-hards, wearing a he.ivy sweater • -rved lirst, but lost tin- lirst pamo. 11-' is the ou.tstaudinp net plater el America and eompelled Wood to -jive his shorn ike preat'.'st lenptii to prevent (be Am-

erican's aiinroaeli to lla- net. Wood obtained a 3-1 lead by beautifully (a!enl.'iF'.l line drives that eanplit the American decii'i-dly -.'lf. 'I he | aee of Iti-Ini.tds’ accurate fnr-cfn! playinp. however. soon hepan l-» count and (rackinp AVood’.s service in the sixth and winning Ids own in the seventh lie I’d !-3. Billiards dennuixtrnlrd liini-s-.-lf as ill! able 1 1, act; court player, lie el-o "aroed many joints with har-l I- reha-.! -Irivex. A..,.i! Inch. I hoi sailed liF - • a I nllel back ov"i- the m-l. and were |ira di -al'v unretiirn.ihle. AVn.id. -till | lay inp tie: urately. was nve lln-lc-s i oiistanlly in dilli. iilt ii s. lit- lost Id; sen i' e in the eiphtli ami B.i hard', led tla- latter was winninp easily, lie I ihl-ed every time W-m-l attempted i i run to the net ami kepi the Australian iiiiiidup back. Ilis lirst service was bar-1 and Wood was enm.I’.elled to return it defensively. Billiards' ran nut the set. (j panics apainsl tiuee. In tin- sr-eond set Billiards npai'i took the lead, breakinp tlnoupli Woods’ service. In tie- third liis tinely balanced play proved always ell'eetite. Wood, like I’attersoii. was her.- jilayiiip well, liplilinp lull'd and repenti'dly workiup in lialulxoiiv |ilacemeiit shots. Bichards, liuwever, was more aceurnte. The A meric ail's service was also elici tive, Ids lirsL service often la-iiip Uliaiiswerable. Wood continued to have pri-nt dilliculty in hold - inp his serviie. Both men eiipaped in a volleyinp duel, each Iryiup to pet the other ruiininp to mid fro in the liack court. Biei-ards usually ended such issues with a fast lore hand drive, that whistled throiipli the air and cut the corner of the court for a wiiininp point, A\nnd lost his service in -he el-.-veuth, Bichards leadinp ai ed tl-.e Australian with brilliant speed from tin- promnl and sm eeeilod in t niidllp lo the lli't oltelier. lie wax uiipassabh- there and Wood, hphtinp i,, d„ so found hini't-li' cheeked eoiitinuously. Billiards won the ''iphth and the set.

The third set dcvclo|>ed into an in,lance xvlu-ve a defeated man showk. lu- inn i’lghl defeat to the last -11 anil one can never tell that ho is l, eaten until all is over.

AY,,o,| lost his service in the lirst. [bird, and tilth games, lie aj)|>earod to ulay into Bieharil's hands and in the seventh game stood at 2—3. lie lest his service and the match, but lie brought the game to deuce mid won. Bichards then led 5-2. Wood now linn-' on to the mulch through sheer xvilf,lower. No shot was too impos-

51,!e for him to pel and lie- was beatng Richards poiul for jioinl. ttiehanl.[oTt this service, and Wood, by win ling three games consecutively, ni-

pt-:, red to have a (ban,-.- of winning the set if he could hreal; Richard s service. In the tenth the Australian had fought bitterly to win on liis own serviie tin- ninth. ’llio tenth game found Wood seekin-' the weal; soots in Richard’s play. |,„l this was ilifliouit. Nevertheless, the Australian won the alternate points, taking the crucial game mto deuce.’ where it gravitated sometimes Bichards with winning shots l>y inehes, snatching a possible redemption from the Australian, tho American could not he denied and won the sot and match.