DECISIVE WIN

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 September 1938, Page 5

DECISIVE WIN

AMERICANS LEAD IN DAVIS CUP AUSTRALIANS LOSE OPENING SINGLES. QUIST IN DISAPPOINTING FORM. By Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. NEW YORK, September 3. America gained a decisive win over Australia in the first day’s matches of the Davis Cup challenge round. Budge beat Bromwich, 6 —2, 6 —3, 4—6, 7 —5, and Riggs beat Quist, 4 —6, 6—o, B—6,8 —6, 6—l. The matches were played on the courts of the Germantown Cricket Club (Philadelphia). There was an attendance of 8000. The gate receipts were approximately 20,000 dollars. The manager of the Australian team.' A. C. Hopman. told the Australian Associated Press: “Naturally we are disappointed, but we are not without hope.” American tennis writers present today unanimously pick the Americans to win every match. Quist’s disappointing showing confirmed them in this decision. The crowd was highly amused at Budge’s good-natured imitation of Bromwich’s two-handed stroking while he . was warming up. Bromwich started promisingly, but Budge assumed a commanding lead. His all-round stroking kept the Australian on the defensive, and Budge had no difficulty in winning the last four games of the set in a row. He again overwhelmed Bromwich in the second set, when the Australian was shaking his head as if puzzled by the American’s dazzling play. Bromwich fought back grimly, but it was a hopeless battle. However, in the third set he struck form and, breaking through Budge’s service, won the last two games, the final one to love. Under darkened skies with a threat of a thunder shower, Bromwich displayed brilliant form to lead 5 —4, but, in the fourht set, after being five times at set point, he was unable to clinch the victory. After leading 4 —2 in the ’first set against Riggs, Quist managed to break through the American’s service to win 6 —4. Quist had to receive attention for a bleeding finger, which he injured when he ran into a fence trying to recover a drop shot. Quist made frantic efforts to cope with Rigg’s lobbing in the second set. The. court had become a mire-field and the ‘ standard of play suffered. Quist could neither assume pace nor follow one. He gave up . trying to plough his way about, and whem Riggs made a cute little 'drop shot that spun softly' into the mud, Quist clapped his hands in cynical applause. The third set was a procession. Quist was utterly unnerved. He was cheered lustily when finally he put a stop to the American’s victorious parade, but it was of little use. However, he evened the score to 5 —5, and again to 6 —6, but the task of winning was beyond him. Riggs quietly overwhelmed the Australian . in the fourth set. Hopman told the Australian Associated Press that the rumour that he would substitute himself for Bromwich in the doubles means nothing. “The record of Quist and Bromwich in the doubles does not justify any change,” he said. “It should be recalled that Australia won the first two matches against the Americans in the inter-zone final in 1934, yet the Americans pulled out and won the contest,” Hopman added. “It is unnecessary to say that we must win the doubles. That is obvious, but, if we do, Bromwich on the basis of his form in the last set today, should beat Riggs, and in view of the enormous number of errors Budge made against Bromwich, Quist, if he could recapture his early Boston form, would have a' chance against him. It is a desperate chance, but there it is.” AUSTRALIANS RECOVER BRILLIANT VICTORY WON IN DOUBLES. PLAYING CONDITIONS BAD. (Recd This Day, 10.30 a.m.) PHILADELPHIA, September 4. In the Davis Cup doubles, Quist arid Bromwich beat Budge and Mako, o—6, 6—3, 6—4, 6—2. The attendance was similar to that on the first day. The wind, and bad bouncing from the turf, did most curious things to the ball. The players were unable to time their shots. Both Quist and Bromwich were constantly late. They netted and outed repeatedly. The Americans apparently were less troubled by the playing conditions and did not have to press very hard to win the first set. The spectators were amused at the highly contrary ball, but to the players it must have been a nightmare. The Australians called a halt to the Americans’ progress in the second set. They proceeded to win their own service game in a highly workmanlike manner, taking an aggressive position in the forecourt, finding open spaces between the Americans and hammering out points by all-round superiority. They assumed a s—l5 —1 lead, and though temporarily retarded in the eighth game by Budge's fine service, they ran out the set 6—3. It is difficult to overpraise the heady character of the Australians play in the middle of the set or the perfect tennis it produced. If maintained, it promises to change all possible estimates of the relative merits of the two teams. Quist won his service to love in the second game of the third set and broke through Budge’s service in the third, but the Americans evened at 22. Mako dropped his service and gave the Australians a vital 5 —4 lead, which they translated into a set victory with a love game off Quist’s service. In this set, Quist’s play wavered, but ultimately he was inspired to quality by Bromwich. Mako remained persistently weak, proving an excellent target at which Quist frequently, but Bromwich always, aimed. The Australians in the fourth set continued to hammer Mako, who was unable to win over ten per cent of his shots, but he recovered form in the third, serving a love game and showing a superb flash. Quist and Brom-; wich broke through Budge’s service in i

the fifth game with a display of tennis that was one hundred per cent genius. Bromwich was showing extraordinary versatility. His forcing shots had length and strength, his lobs took impetus from his opponents and his drop shots rolled to the ground. His angled returns were ungettable and even his usually soft service seemed touched with ungettable properties. He dominated every second of the play and seemed to be in every corner of the court. It was übiquity, combined with accuracy and craft. Quist won his service to love, to give the Australians the victory. When the Australians left the court, the crowd cheered them to the echo.