TENNIS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 January 1920, Page 7

TENNIS.

THE DAVIS CUP. THE FIRST MATCHES. ' (The "Referee.") Sydney, Jan. 21. In fine but blazing weather, the mercury standing well over 90 hi the shade, and iraueh over tiie hundred in the sun. in the presence of well over 5000 enthusiasts, the Daris Cup match was commenced at Double Bay on Friday. Tho success of the Victorian, O. L. Patterson, In the first match of the contest, compared with the disappointing showing of .T. O. Anderson, made all the moro apparent the supremacy of Victoria at present In the lawn tennis arena. Fittingly enough, tho match was umpired by Cam. Hammond, the famous Prince of Umpires, recently returned from active service. He left his beloved rose garden around the courts of the Victorian Association's ground on the St. KUda-road to enlist, and was away over three years, celebrating his sixtieth birthday on the troopship coming back, so that the distinction conferred on him by his choice for umpire's seat was well tamed and well justified by the way he did his share of the umpiring.

0. L. Patterson gave fin inspiring, if variable, display of brilliancy • and versatility of stroke. Indeed, there Is great probability that if he had adhered to his ordinary game of Revere drives of good length ho would have been defeated, Instead, he changed at the right moment from those drives to heavily cut strokes that made the ball hang on the rebound. The chance spnllw} all Lowe's strokes. Instead of hitting the ball over with great pace and depth, he found the net with many of his attempts to pass Patterson, who closed in to the net, after his own returns of service, heavily chopped, and, even if Lowe managed t.o get. the ball back, the next stroke was an easy kill for Patterson, it Is In such an ability to change his whole game that a player of champion rank shows his skill. The difference was seen later when Anderson met IClngscote. Benton at deep, severe rnivlng. he had no other device, and, despairing, he abandoned the one grme that might have earned him a victory. But of him wore imon. Of course, Anderson has not had the eiporienco of Patterson, and in such a matter experience Is a very great asset, Lowe showed himself. ar> all Britishers ffo, a veritable stonewall in defence. His style is not attractive nor a model to follow; but he gets there, and would have done so finally against a less versatile opponent. After losing the first two sets he fought, like a tiger, and when one remembers that he is ir» years oldeT than his opponent, his form does credit both to his siamlpa and his training. Mostly he ran round to get every ball on his forehand; but when lie had to play it pn his backhand he showed even on that side a praiseworthy stubbornness and a refusal to admit defeat that gained many points. He saved several games after 0-40 and IH-40. In sport, as in war, the Britisher fights to the last ditch. He deserved, though ho could not achieve success, and at the c-nd iho crowd cheered his plucky fight. AUSTRALASIA WINS THE DOUBLES. STILL THE MIGHTY BROOKES. Sydney, Jan. 21. : Immense as had been the crowd on Friday 1 to see the opening rubbers of the Davis Cup. it was dwarfed by tho concourse that filled', to overflowing the immense construction at 1 Double Bay on Monday. Tho rain of Saturday > continued right through Sunday evening, ami on Monday morning there was at times a faint drizzlo. By noon, however, tho promise of a finri afternoon could be believed, and by the time fixed for play the stands were all filled ; up, and, indeed, many of those who came with j Saturday's! tickets on the chance of admission wero. turned awny sadly disappointed. Still, they had the right to uso them on Tues-; day, when the whole match was to be won or : lost.

Such a concourse as assembled shows to what heights of popularity tho grume has grown in its less than 40 years of life. Invented in the early eighties as an outdoor offspring of tho older game of Toyal lawn tennis, its comparative cheapness, as well as the fact that. It eould bo played out of doors, at once made It immensely popular, and It had ready for it the lawns that had be<m laid out for croquet. At. first, by the limitations imposed on it by tho hiih net, it was a gamo for garden parties; but thai wa:; noon altered, and within five years of its bir'h its athletic capacities were Tecocrnised. To-rtny its call on the physique would try the athlete of any other sport.

Its voßuei with the world has been mainly established by the famous Davis Cup contests instituted in 1900. Sare for one or two years it. has boon playod ctot since. all over tho world. Tor two contests In America, then till 1907 in Kngland, and since then in Australasia save In IDK> and 1914. It is to the genius of two men that we owe tho supremacy of this, tho world's best -known game—Captain Anthony Wilding', now lying in a soldier's grave, and even more still to the consummate mastery of Norman Brookes, Ho it was that placed* Australasia. oft the (map in lawn tennis circles, and hci it is who to-day still doe« his full share towards keeping it there. His skill was spoken of with hated breath in 100.', On Monday the seven thousand spectators, who watched him juggle with the ball in tl.e doubles against tho best pair Britain could produce, were unanimous that his was Hig master hand still. As fnr a<* doubles are concerned "ago has not. withered nor custom sulad his Infinite vnriety." MAGICIAN OF THE RACKET. For well over a he iwrer failed In one aiugls 3tr9ke to win la whatmr way he choag.

On his service, though the ball had left hlft racket, it seemed to be controlled in its passage through tho air by some unseen power. At ono tlino to one side and next time to tho other would the ball twist in tho air, and when it struck tho ground it would dart off in some new, and, by his opponent, unexpected direction. (Jot back with difficulty and then only occasionally over the net It fell into his quietly outstretched racket to be pocketed into thfi most remote corner of the court or stabbed right to the feet of his opponents or in the opposite direction to that in which his opponents wero going. His opponents' best strokes, whether smashes or services, were treated with scant courtesy. If from Beamish the return of the service was sent, whizzing back to tlie servers feet to bo hit a foot or two, or at best to bo sent up to Brookes' executioner, tho whirlwind Patterson. Once committed to his merciless care the ball received short thrift.

When his partner was serving, Brookes was like a cat at the net. Tho least weakness in the return saw him rush across to intercept the high travelling ball, and the rally was finished In some quiet but deadly method tlmf, was ever moro effective than (he powerful strokes of Patterson. Actually right through the match Brookes did not miss three strokes. Two others, good services by Kingscote to his backhand, he put up weakly to bo killed; but his actual errors could not have totalled a half dozen. Well now can we understand tho heights of praise bestowed on his play by the American writers who hold him In doubles as still without a peer., Brookes has taught Australia as well as tho world how to play lawn tennis, but tho teacher has not yet, a rival in absolute mastery of all the strokes of the game. Never in any sport ha 3 such (mastery been shown. To say it was flawless is but to say the truth. It was only such play as that of Brookes that made ono fall to realise how wclj Patterson aud Klngscoto were both playing. Patterson, it is true, made errors; but the dread of his merciless kills often forced both opponents to hit the ball to Brookes, especially as the latter, by his command of the low volley and half-volley, was able to stand farther back in tho court, and so made a deceptive opening for the British Isles pair to hit the ball into. It was a trap cunningly baited. Patterson made several mistakes in the return of tho service; but ho was going always for the kill, and could rely on Brookes giving him several chances. And, sure enough, in every sumo tho lead was given to Brookes, and by one more killing return ho finished tho game. Overhead, Patterson was not quite at his best; but some of his smashes carried immense power, and tossing—Uie only device possible against Brookes—carried the danger that Patterson might take the smash instead. TIIE WORLD'S GREATEST SERVER, Patterson's services wero absolutely overpowering. Beamish could scarcely handle thorn at all. Actually he only returned five balls served by Patterson into play in six service games of Patterson, and most of these were easily killed. Kingscote did little better, and altogether Patterson's service games were certainties for Australia. Ho only had ten points scored against his service, and three of these Wv?o double faults, curiously enough each being uio first service of a game. In the last game ho commenced with a double fault, but then won three points almost wholly by the severity of his service; and the other point lost was a bad mull by Patterson of an ea&y kill of the weak return.

Both Brookes and Patterson saved well; but Brookes, oven In this respect, seemed unconquerable. Ho recovered several rallies when seemingly hopeless. He seemed always to know when the ball would get past his partner, and very often was at the place where the ball was to land before it got there. He actually won his first three seWlce games to lore. This was not like Patterson's services, by the service alone, hut more often by some masterlv volley of the return, with which he pocketed the ball right out of the reach of his opponent. Mngscote he defeated like tills many times. His low forehand volleys are absolutely una-chlne-like in their direction and strength A billiards expert could not make the ball talk so. His fourth service ho won to 30, and his last, when tho Britishers were fighting manfully and well, was won after 15-40 had been called against the server. Tho liq.ii aroused won the next five points, and the game, in splto of fine 3avlng strokes by the Britishers. Klngscote had hard luck with one fine drive past Brookes, which just cleared the line, thus giving Brookes his advantage point. The valiant courage of the Englishmen was shown well at tills stage, for Kingscote, not having before that won one of his service games, won this most critical one to love, his serving and smashing being severe and 'well placed. Beamish also scored a fine smash which beat Brookes by its pace.