Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-05-23
TIDE OF VICTORY OR DEFEAT CAN
EBB AND FLOW FASTER IN TENNIS
THAN IN ANY OTHER KNOWN SPORT
Numerous Notable Matches Illustrate Fact.
Alexander's Dashing Play at Monte Carlo
Showed Doherty's Skill Departed for Good
By PAUL GIBBONS

,.,,re annals disclose the fact that The
- victory or defeat can ebb and
y uu ouicSlv in the great lawn game
hoN -, anv other in the catalogue OF sports
tnen tnI,Snrr,ore. that stereotyped expression
Fur ~. used in describing matches the
oi uas much closer than the score
h,a ssen1 to Indicate" does not merit inc
VIZ VIZ ,bat is frequently bestowed upon IL
tv,r 1,hen Holcombe Ward had II. L. Doherty
ats TO love in their Davis cup match
Two sSS he should have been decided
- IyVO' ',O for the match: yet he never had
h'Itsvs chance to win It, Ward had
% "a himself out in winning those two
pss chile Doherty. who had planned a
seYs, ses,,.o game. came on with rush in the
s,IS's set winning II and the next two
easily.
rorr,less examples Of a similar nature
~ Ne nointed out. The notable cases
sgst eOs,' come readily to mind, Beals Wrights
'nS, ,.s AGAINST wildng in the final round
lS,hs English championship in 1910, iS con-
l,a,,ous Like Ward, the American led
Y ,,ro sets TO love, and never got very
s0.s to winning another. In the same year
r C. Bundy played Larned hNe-set
L.,ch for the championship as the cral-
ma The Californian actually won the
~, came Of the fifth set, and yet Larned
- ,be INNER hand at virtually every
.s,,s heing in perfect condition physical .ly,
ma Rundy was so weak from stomach
,,nnbls that he tagged himself out in win
s,rg the second third sets. Wallace John
..,s fye-set match with Mclaughlin in
i,l2 for the championship was, just the
,,bsr way a touch-and-go affair for four
.,,s with the Phladelphian having all the
htter Of II. He made two shots in the
surtb set. the winning of either Of which
zkal ha 70 ~ on
Shot Hit Tape and Fell Back
In the fourth set while leading at two
.,s 10 one. Johnson tserving) had two
ebsnces to win the ninth game and make
M score five to four. The first time his
,bot caught the tape Of the ne: and fell
Asck on his side. Had the ball carried
eser-spn instead Of Under-sp.n, it would
almost certainly have gone over. The next
polnt was McLoughln's on a net cord
rroke, which, to quote American lawn ten
rIs at the time. danced a jig on the canvas
tbd finally dropped over"
TO turn to the opposite side of the pic.
IRE. there are matches with one.sida ed
cores which have really been exceedingly
dose Fred B. Alexander. the former
d6ubles champion, when I'm Philadelphia re.
emily, cited one Of these and followed II
With another that seemed close, but was
really one.sided:
when l played All Dunlop at Sydney
N 1909 in the final round Of the Australia.
hsn championship the score would indicate
that / made a wonderful pull.out from ar
amost impossible position" he said "a.
amatter Of fact. there was never the slight
/ u doubt Of the result i'm my own mind
R1nlop won the first two sets rather easily
Ne was playing clearly above himself anC
4 VI q IN 10 M .oi
ipr a slackening | knew it must come. fO
Dunlop could not possibly keep up tina
wee for three fullzsets. Surely enough /
dme in the third set. | won that at Low,
md the next two without any trouble. A.
ihsye said. there was never a moment tina
iwas not sure of winning.
fremember another match that seemed
I fidicuousy one.sided. to judge by the score
and yet was nip-and-tuck all the way. Thi
j happened al Roselle. y. j., about 1901.
\ played Fred Anderson and beat him II
straight sets, allowing him only two o