TENNIS GALLERY INDIGNANT

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 41, 18 February 1939, Page 4

TENNIS GALLERY INDIGNANT

DEMONSTRATION WHEN BUDGE BEATS VINES NEARLY 17,000 SEE DISAPPOINTING MATCH

Assumming ho was in earnest about quitting tennis and devoting himsell to golf in case he found Don Budge too tough for him, Elisworth Vinci has the permission of 16,725 witnesses to wire home and have somebody start oiling up his golf sticks. For Budge gave Elly an unmerciful lacing in their first professional match in Madison Square Garden, winding it up in sixty minutes b> scores of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. This is the comment of an American scribe on the first meeting in New York on January 4 of Donald Budge and Ellsworth Vines. Vines’ Backhand Failed. Vines entered the opening engagement in an active 3-5 favourite in the lobby betting. He was confidently expected to give the redhead a lesson and mow him down with the famous Vines forehand. He came out of il. profoundly shocked by the evident superiority of his opponent. Budge, perfectly at home under the lights, had little more difficulty in handling Vines than he experienced the past year in salting down the world’s amateurs. Egged on by several bull-throated admirers, who exhorted him to “Come on, Red,” he pitched his game so high Vines never had a chance to get started. Under Budge’s withering lire, Vines’ backhand went completely to pieces, his forehand worked only in streaks, and after the first few games his vaunted service didn’t bother Budge at all. “I’m Sorry,” Says Elly. In the dressing-room after the match, both Budge and Vines declared Vines is Capable of better tennis and undoubtedly will produce it before their tour is many nights old. “Vines’ backhand was a little unsteady, that’s all,” Budge said. “He was swinging too soon. When he gets his backhand working, we'l. have some terrific battles.” “I’m sorry I lost.” Vines said rather stiffly to reporters. “I just feel that I can play better tennis than I did—l have played better tennis.” Asked if Vines was harder to handle than the best amateurs he played in Winning the Australian, French, all-England and United States championships last year, Budge replied, “I’ll say he was.” The gate was 47.120 dollars. The Customers 800. The customers, not quite as steep-

I nd in tennis etiqueue as those Budge 1 had been accustomed to at Forest : Hills and Wimbledon, showed their : disappointment frankly. When Alice ; Marble, called to the microphone ' after the match, told them they had seen tennis “as fine as one could expect to see anywhere” there was a distinct boo, and not from the gallery alone. The stroke analysis showed best the manner in which Vines, entering on his sixth year as a pro, was outsteadied by Budge, playing the first match in a tour that guarantees him 75,000 dollars. The 27-year-oid veteran netted thirty-four times and had forty-six outs to Don's twenty and thirty-six. With twenty placements and five aces, he also had ten more earned points than the redhead, but they weren’t enough to offset his mistakes. Villes Improves. Moving on to Boston, the next night's exhibition showed Vines in improving form. Before a gallery of 6980 Budge won, 6-3, 8-6, 6-4, Vines was described as in much better form .han when he lost th.New York opener, but his strokes were just enough off to cause his downfall after seventy minutes of sparkling play. Budge, imprisoned behind the baselines during most of the match, had little to do but return the shots he could reacn and stand idly by as Vines’ sizzling backhands to the far corners landed an inch or so outside and his forehands just missed Meir, ing the net. Refuses to Ease Up. ftt all times Vines appeared to *»alise that he was not giving his strokes a suitable safety margin, but he refused to retire to the defence when he convinced the almost half-filled house that he was a bit below the playing peak that enables him to skim the net and nick the baselines with his driving shots. Vines outscored Budge with thirtyeight placements against sixteen and nine service aces to six. Vines' errors, however, were forty-eight nets, mostly forehands, againsl twenty, thirty-seven outs to Don's twenty-four and three double-faults to one. When two more exhibitions had been played Vines had made a surprising recovery to square the i matches.