New Britain herald., 1915-09-08
BIG TENNIS MATCH
 AS SEEN BY PORTER
New Britain Boy Writes of John.
 StOn'S Wonderful Victory
(Rv Max S. Porter.)


 William M. Johnston, the twenty year old Californian, is now the Ma tional lawn tennis champion. lie aI- tained this title by brilliantly defeat- ing Maurice E. Mclaughlin, at For est Hills, l.. l., yesterday, by a score of 1-6, 60, 7-o, 10-S.
 Mclaughlin, the Comet" has Tor the past few years ben practically un- beatable. True, he lost his national title to R. Norris Williams last year. but many tennis followers thought that his strenuous Davis cup cam paign had left him stale, and expect ed him to come back" this year. AL though Mac" has been playing fine game this season he seems to lack his old time pace, with which he defeated the famous Australian pair, Brookes and Wiiding, and has gone down to defeat before Williams ana Karl Behr.
 Mclaughlin Confident.
 Both players stepped onto the court at exactly 3 o'clock and play began almost immediately. Mclaughlin won the toss and elected to serve. At the very outset it was evident that he was going to foresake the back court game. which has proved a cost ly experiment for him this season. Mac" had all the confidence in the world and his first two cannon ball serves shot over the net for aces in a style peculiar to the Comet" Both players were playing almost perfect tennis but Mclaughlin seemed to be having no difficulty and soon led by four games. Johnston, however, won the next game on Macs" service, but the Comet took the next two, and won the set, 6-1. Just how remark able the tennis was, is shown by the fact that during the entire set only seventeen errors were made.
 Then came the greatest upheavals ever known in the history of a na- tional match. Johnston took the in- itiative at the opening of the second set and ran through game after game literally sweeping his famous oppon- ent off his feet. Only two games went to deuce and before the crowd real ized it, the boy had won a love set.
 The third set was productive of even better and faster tennis than the first two. Each player won his own service up to 2 all, and then John ston with a remarkable burst of speed and accuracy won the next three games and led, 5-3. Macs fighting blood was now aroused and he fought in his old manner, bringing the set to deuce, but the strain was too great for him and he dropped the next two games and the set went to Johnston at 7-5.
 The fourth set, which proved to be the lasts was far from championship tennis. Both players made almost inexcusable errors and seemed to be laboring under great excitement, which exhausted them more than their own physical efforts. The set had but few spectacular plays and finally went to Johnston at 10-8.
 A Mere Boy Did It.
 The crowd was non-plussed. Here was a mere boy who had beaten the great Mclaughlin of international fame and although the stands greeted the new champion with wonderful en- thusiasm there seemed to be a note Of sympathy for the auburn haired idol who has shown such strength of character in victory and defeat as to make him probably the most popular pldy0l thdL SNSI HGlu IdIiohol tlllSs
 Although Mclaughlin did not play | the same kind of tennis that he did | in the Davis cup match last year, | there is no doubt that the better ! player won, and Johnston now has a | bright future before him.
 Johnston is a player of no little | ability, as was clearly demonstrated | yesterday. He came East in 1913, when but IT years old, with a fine Pacific coast record, and after play ing brilliant tennis at Longwood and Newport, received an official ranking of Mo- 4. Last year he disappointed his admirers and dropped to sixth place on the ranking list, but this ear the new champion has shown constant improvement, and in the tournament he has de- feated in succession Harold H. c. c. Pell, D. s. Walters, Karl H. Behr, Clarence J. Griffin, R. Norris Williams and Mclaughlin
 Johnston's form has often been de- ,cribed as the best in America, and 1is forehand drives are hard hit and puzzling, ofttimes just nicking the corners of the court.