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