TENNIS.

Shannon News, 19 November 1929, Page 4

TENNIS.

*-■ The Hanking List. f j ' t; The present Now. Zealand ranking 'l list is as follows: ij; Men. £ I.—E. L. Bartleet (Auckland). %' 2.—C. E. Malfroy (Wellington). | . 3. —J. A. Seay (Canterbury); ; ‘ 4.—D. G. Franco (Wellington). * 5.—N. E. C. Wilson (Wellington). p G.—C. Angas (Canterbury). I) 7.—A. L. France (Wellington). £ 8. —J. T. Laurenson (Waikato). 9.—A. C. Stedman (Auckland). 10.—N. G. Sturt (Auckland). * ■ Women. I.—Miss M. McFarianc (Auckland). t l 2. —Miss M. Speirs (Canterbury). 3.—:Mrs. J R. P. Adams (Wellington), k' 4.—Miss M. Myers (Wanganui). } s.—Miss M. Tracy (Wellington). f 6.—Mrs! W. J. Melody (Wellington). \ 7.—Miss M. Wake (Canterbury). B.—-Miss ,D. Nicholls (Wellington). Cochet and the Rising Ball. v In hi o play Henri Cochet is demonstrating more this year than ever the i'j value .of taking the ball as soon a 3 possible after it has hit the ground, writes D. M. Creig. More than ever has he used the half volley as an at : tacking stroke. By taking the ball very . early, he returns it over the net a fraction quicker than the man who takes the ball later. Even if he does ~ not hit the ball hard, his opponent has less .time to got the ball than ho has against • other opponents. It makes a ; great difference, always Cochet’s opponents seexn to have to run much farther than he does, while he is nearly always in position, cooly waiting for : the chance to register a “kill.” Remember this point, and try to take the ■■ ball as it is rising from the ground. ' Don wait until it is falling as in so doing you give your opponent more time to get into position, you want to . hustle him.

T Again it was an object iesson to < watch Cochet at Wimbledon, making ' hi 3 openings. He would gradually work j" nis opponent out of court before de‘‘livering the coup de grace. He does • ’ r.ot try to make outright winners unless he has the opening very definitely there. Of course, when his opponent r v . forces him' out of position, then you will see Cochet going all out for the risky shot, but in the ordinary course ; of events Cochet takes care to reduce / his error in a serious match to a minimum. Some people watching Cochet might say that the essence of his game is taking extraordinary risks,

which comes off. This is not so. It is

true be will play half volleys and vol~"Ieys, -which to the ordinary, playor would ibe risky shots. To him they come as naturally as the ordinary fore or back-hand stroke of most players. Lacostc in this way, is the same as Cochet. "You do not see Lacoste missing the easy stroke in an endeavour to do too -much with it. He returns the ball with deadly accuracy, and is content to await his opening before he goes for the winning stroke. The main difference between the two is, I think, is that Cochet goes for more often to the net directly he has got his opening to kill the ball outright, while Lacoste prefers to make his winning strokes off the ground. The point, I think, we can gather from them is to concentrate just as much on the easy stroke ps on the more difficult one, so that unnecessary errors need not be made, and when you have your opening go all out for it. Tilden’s Intentions Though the American Tennis Asso ciation has definitely refused to send a team to Australia, it is possible that William Tilden may pay a visit next summer. A lot will depend on the success or otherwise of his theatrical venture in London, but he h'as already contracted to play at Cannes and other Riviera centres next season, and is bringing his young protege, Wilbur Cohen, over from America to partner him. If all goes as it hoped, the pair will come on to Australia and possibly New Zealand, returning to America by the -Pacific route. Back to Standard. There is plenty of evidence that British tennis is regaining its old-time standard, and this is especially true of the women players. The other day Betty Nuthall, who seems to have at last mastered an effective overhand service, wort the Californian championship, another English player in Mrs. Harper being - her antagonist in the final. Helen Wills did not competw, but Helen Jacobs, ranked in America as second only to the Wills, was a startor. Nationality Qualification. The American tennis authorities are in a quandary over the case of Elizabeth Ryan. She was bom in America, but has spent most of her tennisplaying life in Britain. She is not to play for Britain, and though she played for U.S.A.- at Wimbledom in 1926, the. American panjandrums have now decided that her American domicile is not sufficient to permit her to appear again as a representative of the Stars and Stripes. As far as tennis is concerned, the great doubles player is a girl without a country, and under the rules of international tennis even the taking put of naturalisation papers will not remedy matters.