第 26 节
作者:雨霖铃      更新:2021-05-03 16:33      字数:9322
  well。 In the early stages Little Bill had a slight edge; but after one set the
  balance shifted and I held the whip hand to the end。
  The   same   day   Dick   Williams   went   down   to   sudden   and   unexpected
  defeat at the hands of J。 O。 Anderson of Australia in five well played sets。
  It   was   a typical Williams   effort;   glorious tennis one   minute   followed by
  inexcusable lapses。 The Australian was steady and clever throughout。
  The keen speculation as to the outcome of the tournament fell off after
  the meeting of Johnston and I; and with it a decrease in attendance。 This
  ran very high; however; again reaching capacity on the day of the finals。
  The round before the semi finals saw a terrific struggle between two
  Californians; Bob Kinsey and Willis E。 Davis。 Kinsey had defeated Davis
  in the Metropolitan Championship the   week before and was expected   to
  repeat;  but   Davis   managed   to   outlast   his team  and   nosed out   the   match。
  Kinsey   collapsed      on   the   court  from   exhaustion      as  the  last  point   was
  played。
  Gordon Lowe went down to me in a fine match while J。 O。 Anderson
  and Wallace Johnson completed the Quartet of semi finalists;
  I finally got my revenge on Davis for the many defeats he had inflicted
  on   me   in   years   gone   by。   Wallace   Johnson   scored   a   magnificent   victory
  over J。 O。 Anderson in four sets after the Australian led at a set all; 5…2;
  and 40…15。 Johnson ran the visiting Davis Cup star all over the court and
  finally    pulled   out   the   match    in  one    of  the   finest  displays    of   court
  generalship I have ever seen。
  The    finals   was    more    or   less  of   a  family    party。   It  was   an   all…
  Philadelphian       affair;  two   Philadelphians      competing     with   14;000     more
  cheering them on。
  Johnson was unfortunate。 Saturday the match was started under a dark
  sky on a soft court that just suited him。 I have seldom seen Johnson play
  so   well;   as   always;   his   judgment   was   faultless。   We   divided   games   with
  service with monotonous regularity。 The score was 5…all when it began to
  drizzle。    The   court;   soft  at  best   that  day;   grew    more    treacherous     and
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  slippery by the minute。 Johnson's shots hardly left the ground。 He broke
  my service at 7…all when the rain materially increased。 He reached 40…15
  but;   with   the   crowd   moving   to   shelter   and   the   rain   falling   harder   every
  minute; he made the fatal error of hurrying and netted two easy shots for
  deuce; A moment more and the game was mine and the match called at 8…
  all。
  Play   was   resumed   on   Monday   before   a   capacity   gallery。   By   mutual
  agreement the match was played over from the beginning。 I had learned
  my   lesson   the   previous   day   and   opened   with   a   rush。   The   hot   sun   and
  strong wind had hardened the court and Johnson's shots rose quite high。 It
  was my day and fortunately for me I made the most of it。
  I consider that match the best tennis of my life。 I beat Johnson 6…1; 6…3;
  6…1 in 45 minutes。 Thus fell the curtain on the official tennis season。
  The   East…West   matches   in   Chicago   proved   more   or   less   of   an   anti…
  climax。 Johnston was ill and unable to compete; while Wallace Johnson;
  Williams;   Washburn   and   Shimidzu   could   not   play。   Several   remarkable
  matches      featured    the  three   days'   play   in   the  Windy     City。   The   most
  remarkable was the splendid victory of J。 O。 Anderson over me in five sets;
  the final one   of which hung   up a   world's   record for   tournament   play  by
  going to 19…17。 Frank T。 Anderson defeated Robert Kinsey in five sets; a
  splendid performance; while S。 H。 Voshell scored over W。 E。 Davis。
  The Ranking Committee faces a hard task on the season's play。 Let us
  look   at   the   records   of   some   of   the American   players;   and   a   few   of   our
  visitors。
  1。  W。   M。   Johnston     Beat   V。  Richards     2;  Williams     (2);  Kumagae;
  Shimidzu;   Roland   Roberts;   Davis   and   others。   Lost   to   Washburn;  Tilden;
  Roberts。
  2。 R。 N。 Williams 2d。 Beat Richards; Shimidzu; Kumagae (2); Voshell
  and others。 Lost to Johnston (2); Richards; J。 O。 Anderson; Kumagae。
  3。 Vincent Richards Beat Tilden; Richards; Kumagae (2); Shimidzu (2);
  (in exhibition at Toronto); Voshell; Hawkes; Lost to Johnston (2); Williams;
  Davis。
  4。 Ishiya Kumagae Beat Williams; Voshell; Anderson; Hawkes。 Lost to
  Johnston; Tilden; Williams; Richards。
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  5。   Zenzo    Shimidzu     Beat   Wallace    Johnson    (2);  Anderson;     Hawkes;
  Niles。    Lost    to  Johnston;     Tilden    (2);  Voshell    (2)。   Richards     (2)  (in
  exhibitions)。
  6。 Wallace Johnson Beat Watson; Washburn; Anderson。 Lost to Tilden;
  Shimidzu (2)。
  7。 Watson Washburn Beat Williams; Johnston; Voshell。 Lost to Wallace
  Johnson; Tilden; Atherton Richards (a most sensational upset)。
  8。 J。 O。 Anderson of Australia Beat R。 N。 Williams; Tilden; Hawkes;
  Lowe。 Lost to Wallace Johnson; Kumagae; Shimidzu。
  9。 S。 H。 Voshell Beat Shimidzu (2) ; Davis。 Lost to Richards; Williams;
  Washburn; Neer (an upset); Allen Behr (a gift)。
  10。 W。 E。 Davis Beat Richards; R。 Kinsey; Lowe。 Lost to Niles; L。 B。
  Rice (an upset); R。 Kinsey; Voshell and Tilden。
  These few records show how useless comparative scores may be。 If
  another   season   like   1921   strikes American   tennis;   the   ranking   will   need
  either clairvoyance or a padded cell。
  These upsets are part of the zest of the game and it is due to the very
  uncertainty of tennis that the public is daily becoming more enthusiastic
  about the game。 I believe next year will see even a greater interest taken in
  it than was shown this。
  Second in importance only to the big events themselves was the season
  in junior tennis。
  Little   Miss   Helen   Wills;   in   her   first   Eastern   season;   won   the   junior
  championship for girls and brought to the game one of the most delightful
  personalities that has appeared in many years。 Her success at her early age
  should prove a great boom to girls' tennis all over America。
  Vincent Richards   passes   from  the   junior ranks   this   year   but   leaves   a
  successor   who   is   worthy  to   wear   his   mantle   in the   person of Arnold W。
  Jones of Providence。 Jones should outclass the field in 1922; by as wide a
  margin as did Richards this year。
  Arnold     Jones    has   had   a   remarkable     record。    He   won     the  boys'
  championship of America in 1919。 In 1920 he carried Richards to a close
  match in the National junior Singles; taking one set。 He was ranked 〃two〃
  for the year。
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  This year Arnold had his greatest year of his brief career。 He journeyed
  to   France   and   England;   as   the   official   junior   representative   of America;
  recognized   by   the   National   Tennis Association。   He   played   splendidly   in
  France; defeating A。 Cousin in the hard court championship of the world
  and   forced   Tegner;   the   Danish   Davis   Cup   star;   to   a   close   battle   before
  admitting   defeat。   His   sensational   play   in   the   doubles   was   a   great   aid   in
  carrying him and me to the semi…final ground; where we lost to Gobert and
  Laurentz   after   five   terrific   sets。   In   England   young   Jones   played   Jacob;
  Captain of the Indian Davis Cup team; a splendid match。
  On   his   return   to America   he   carved   his   niche   in   the   Hall   of   Junior
  Tennis fame by defeating Harold Godshall of California; W。 W。 Ingraham
  of Providence and Morgan Bernstein of New York on successive days in
  the junior championship。 He forced Richards to a bitter fight in final; and
  again proved beyond question that he is but a step behind Richards today;
  although he is a full year younger。
  Godshall; Ingraham; Charles Wood; Jr。; Bernstein; Jerry Lang; Charles
  Watson III; Fritz Mercur and many other boys are but a step behind Jones。
  With this list of rising players; need we face the future with anything but
  the most supreme confidence in our ability to hold our place in the tennis
  world!
  There were two other remarkable features to the tennis season of 1921;
  both of them in America。 The first was the appearance of the Davis Cup
  team   on   th