第 24 节
作者:雨霖铃      更新:2021-05-03 16:33      字数:9321
  5…3   and   30…all;   but   the   last…minute   jinx   that   pursued   the   tournament   fell
  upon him; for Norton came to life and; playing sensational tennis; pulled
  out the match and earned the right to me in the challenge round。
  Then the jinx arose again and this time Babe Norton was the victim。
  Such     a   match   as   that   challenge   round   produced!   I   went   on   the  court
  feeling far from well and very much run down。 Babe was on the crest but
  very   nervous。   He   ran   away   with   the   first   two   sets   with   great   ease。   The
  third set I improved。 Babe; after dropping three games; decided to let it go。
  The fourth set found the crowd excited and rather noisy。 Norton became
  annoyed because he felt I was bothered; and he blew up。 He simply threw
  away the fourth set from sheer nerves。
  The fifth set was terrible。 Norton had come to earth and was playing
  well while I for the first time in the match had some control of the ball。
  Norton finally led at 4…5 and 30…40 on my service; with the championship
  one point away。
  We had a long rally。 Desperately I hit down the line。 I was so certain
  my shot was going out I started for the net to shake hands。 The ball fell on
  the line and Babe in the excitement of the moment put his return out by
  inches。    It  was   a  life  and   fortunately   for   me   I  seized   my   chance    and
  succeeded      in   pulling   out   the  match    and    retaining   the   championship。
  Norton deserved to win; for nothing but luck saved me as I walked to the
  net; thinking my shot was out。 Norton is the youngest man to have won the
  All Comers Singles。 He is just 21。
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  The championships had two sad moments。 One was the absence of J。
  C。 Parke; due to retirement from singles。 The other was the retirement of A。
  W。     Gore;    the  famous      veteran;    after  30    years   a   participant    in  the
  championships。
  The   women's   events   found   an   even   more   unfortunate   draw   than   the
  men。   All   the   strength    was   in   one   eight。  Miss   Ryan    defeated    Miss   K。
  McKane in the first round and Mrs。 Beamish her old rival in the second。
  She met Mrs。 Mallory in the third。
  For one set Mrs。 Mallory played the finest tennis of her career to that
  time    and   in  fact  equal    even   to  her   play   against   Suzanne     Lenglen     in
  America。      She   ran   off  six  games     in  ten  minutes。    Miss    Ryan;   cleverly
  changing   her   game;   finally   broke   up      the   perfection   of   Mrs。   Mallory's
  stroking and just nosed her out in the next two sets。 It was a well deserved
  victory。
  Miss Ryan easily won the tournament and challenged Mlle。 Lenglen;
  but her old jinx   in the form  of Suzanne again proved too much and  she
  played far below her best。 The French girl easily retained her title; winning
  6…2; 6…0。
  The journey of the   wandering tennis troupe abroad   was far from  the
  most     important     development      of   the  year。   The   American      season    was
  producing remarkable results。 Every year produces its outstanding figure
  and the early months of 1921 saw Vincent Richards looming large on the
  tennis horizon。
  The   first   sensation   of   the   year   was   the   decisive   defeat   inflicted   on
  Kumagae   by   young   Richards   at   Amakassin   Club;   New   York。   This   was
  immediately        followed     by    Kumagae's       victory    over    Dick    Williams;
  avenging   Williams'   win   at   Palm   Beach   some   months   before。   Kumagae
  scored in the intercity match for the George Myers Church Trophy played
  in 1921   in Philadelphia。 The following   day Wallace   F。 Johnson   defeated
  Kumagae in one of the most terrific battle of the year。
  Vincent     Richards     went   through     the  season    to  the   middle    of  July
  without sustaining a defeat。 He won five tournaments。
  I arrived home from France and England July 12th and journeyed at
  once     to  Providence      where    I  took   charge    of  the   Rhode     Island   State
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  Championship          at   the   Agawam        Hunt    Club。     Zenzo     Shimidzu      had
  accompanied         me    to  America      on   the   Olympic       and   made     his   first
  tournament       appearance      two   days    after  landing    at  Greenwich;       Conn。;
  before coming to Providence。 He went down to unexpected defeat at the
  hands of S。 H。 Voshell。
  The   Providence   tournament   held   the   greatest   entry   list   of   any   event
  except   the   National   Singles   itself。   The   singles   had   Shimidzu;   Williams;
  Richards; C。 S。 Garland; Watson Washburn; S。 H。 Voshell; Samuel Hardy;
  N。   W。   Niles;   many   young   Western   collegiate   stars   and   myself。   Ichiya
  Kumagae   arrived   to   play   doubles   with   Shimidzu   in   preparation   for   the
  Davis Cup。
  Then     the  fun   began。    Shimidzu     again   fell  before    the  net  attack   of
  Voshell;     who    was    himself    defeated    by   the   calm    quiet   steadiness    of
  Washburn。 Garland   went out   at my  hands。 Williams   faced certain   defeat
  when   Niles   led   him   4…0   in   the   final   set;   but   in   one   of   his   super…tennis
  streaks tore through to victory; only to collapse against Vincent Richards
  and     suffer   a  crushing    defeat    6…2;   6…2   in  the   semi…final。    Meanwhile
  Washburn had dropped by the wayside to me 6…2; 6…2 and young Richards
  and I took up our annual battle。
  Youth is cruel。 The world is cruel。 Life is hard。 I know it; for Vinnie;
  with care and discretion; quietly led me along the Road of the Has…Beens;
  where he deposited me to the tune of 6…1; 6…2; 1…6; 6…0。
  Richards; with the scalps of Kumagae; Williams; Voshell and myself
  dangling   at   his   belt;   seemed   destined   for   the   championship   itself。  Alas;
  pride goeth before a fall。 The fall came to Vinnie suddenly。
  The following week was the Longwood Singles。 〃Little Bill〃 Johnston
  arrived   East;   together   with   the   rest   of   his   California   team;   the   day   the
  event started。 Johnston was the holder of the trophy and was called on to
  meet the winner of the tournament in the challenge round。
  The tournament was mainly Dick Williams。 He defeated Shimidzu in
  the final。 Kumagae was his victim in an earlier round。
  Willis     E。   Davis;     second     string    of   the   California      team;    was
  unexpectedly defeated by N。 W。 Niles; who himself went the long road via
  Shimidzu。 The little Japanese star scored another important victory when
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  he defeated W。 F。 Johnson。
  Williams   met   Johnston   in   the   challenge   round   with   chances   bright。
  Somehow   Little   Bill   has   Dick's   number   these   days   and   again   decisively
  defeated   him。   Vincent   Richards   wisely   rested   the   week   of   Longwood;
  preparing      for   the  later   events。    I  was    off   in  the   woods     at  Camp
  Winnipesaukee recuperating from the effects of illness in England。
  Newport      followed    on   the  heels   of  Longwood。       Newport     should    be
  called    Washburn      Week。     Here    the  judicial   Watty    methodically      placed
  Johnston and Williams in the discard on successive days。 It was a notable
  performance。
  Williams took an awful revenge on Vinnie Richards when the two met
  in the third round。 It was Williams' day and he blew the little Yonkers boy
  off the court in one of the finest displays of the whole year。 Shimidzu; who
  had again scored a victory over Wallace Johnson; was taken suddenly ill
  with ptomaine poisoning; the night before he was to meet Williams in the
  semi   final;   and   compelled   to   default。   It   robbed   him   of   a   chance   to   gain
  revenge for his defeat at Longwood。 Washburn played the best tennis of
  his life; in defeating Johnston and Williams; which; coupled with Richards'
  crushing defeat; placed Washburn on the Davis Cup team。
  A   sensational     upset   occurred    in  the   first  round   when    L。   B。  Rice
  defeated W。 E。 Davis。 Rice has made a great improvement this year and
  bids fair to go far。
  Seabright; the next week; found Little Bill Johnston playing the stellar
  role。   Washburn   took   a   week   off   but   Williams   and   Richards   were   in   the
  competition。
  Johnston      crushed    Richards     when     the