Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-03-07
WILLIS E. DAVIS
IS THREE-TIMES
TENNIS CHAMPION
Wins Doubles Match With
Joe Thayer From Johnson
and Alex Thayer
MATCHES AT DRY

Willis +. Davis doesn't play any IA
yorltes. He Is now n three.time champion
IN the tennis world-once In California
and twice in Philadelphia. He doesnr
care where hes from. He won his --latest
title last night when. with Joe Thayer as
partner, he captured the indoor title, de
feaung VILLAGE f. johnson and Alex
Thayer In four-set match, O-G. 81, Ga
1910. He won the singles crown, defeat
ing Tllden on Saturday
A. The indoor championships were really n
great success. There is no denying that
But as far as the finals in doubles is con.
cerned. which is the main issue there isn't
much that can be said in defense of them
except that they were scheduled at the
Armory for $40 y. IN. last evening and
were played.
In order to have these self-same
doubles it was necessary for Messrs.
Johnson and A. Thayer to win their way
to the finals. To do this they had to
defeat Smith and Lance in the penult.
mate round. This took place early in the
evening and was witnessed by only the
chosen few who braved the sleet, snow
and ice to see the alleged contest
johnson and \. Thayer only prepared
themselves for the worst that was yet TO
come. Lance would have been a great
factor in the game but the red-haired
gentleman, his Immaculate partner, upset
the dope and II was all off Johnson and
Thayer merely toyed with these aspiring
seminnalists and won out by the count Of
Ga. 6-3
Following this nonupset of the dope,
Joe Thayer and his friend, Willis Davis,
stepped on the canvas court. When this
match began there were, without eXag-
geration, 10 people in the house including
Paul Gibbons, referee, and the various
co and correspondents. As predicted eN-
clusively by Mr. Charles Haffner the we'll.
IrOOxVf1 nrpfaggipnnJ Of ba Wood
bury Country Club, johnson and A. Thayer
took the first set with the most ridiculous
ease. The score was 60. according to Mr..
Gibbons.
But the final round was three out of
five, according to the rules hence when the
second set began the winners of the first
were not only not confident, owing to the
distance they had to go, but they were ex-
tremely "leary," owing to the excellent
play of Davis, the Red and Blue star.
This second set was a gruellng con-
test, with good luck and bad light play
ing an important part. In this set the
referee was not able to see the side and
back lines consequently many points went
the way they should not have gone owing
to the poor work of the linesmen; but in
the end II evened up about $3.50, so there
was no regular kick coming from either
team.
After Joe Thayer and Davis had taken
the third set at Ga, it looked as though |
and A. Thayer were through" |
but such was not the case. 1t is true that
in the third set j. Thayer and Davis did |
much better work both at the net and in |
their shots from the back court. still the |
margin by which they won was so small |
that it would have been hard for an out |
slider to pick the winner unless he had |!
carefully kept the score.
The fourth set began with each pair |;
taking games on service up to two-all. |
Then the strikers-out, Johnson and A. |
Thayer, won, putting them in the lead
and virtually evening up matters. But they
were not long in advance of their oppo- |
nents, as the speedy shots of Davis and a |
lucky crack by Joe Thayer put the game |
on ice and evened up the count at three |
all. The games went alternately from |
8trfker-out out to server until flve-all was |
reached. Then again Johnson and his |
partner broke through, only to be broken |
through on their own service, due to the |
poor work of Alex Thayer.
The fourth set continued thus, Joe |
rhayer and Davis being within one one |
Of the match nine separate times until |
they finally won out at 1910.
Wallace Johnson and Davis played not |
only sound but remarkable good tennis |
the very poor light on the |
court. There were only few gas Jets |
have been real light by the electrics |
which were used all last week in the |
tournament. In short, the match re.
solved itself into a duel between the |
Thayer brothers and Joe won. Both and |
Johnson and Davis the other members of |
the team did all they could, and more. to |
win.