The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1918-08-17
Alexander And Wright
Defeat Western Stars
Internationalists Win Three
Straight Sets From Bur
dick and Hayes - Play
Tilden and Richards in
Finals Today.

Boston, Aug. II - Frederick B.
Alexander and Beals G. Wright, the
tennis Internationalists, gained the
final round of the national champion
ship doubles yesterday afternoon by
defeating Walter Hayes and Ralph
Burdick of Chicago at 6-3, ca,
6-3, on the turf courts of the Long
wood Cricket Club. This afternoon
Alexander and Wright will face Vim
cent Richards, the 16year-old national
boy champion, and William Tilden, I'd,
national clay court champion, for the
title.
In the mixed doubles tournament
the finalists will be Miss Molla Blur
stedt and Alexander and Mrs. George
H. Wightman and Irving C. Wright.
1t may have been that the injury to
Hayes ankle on Wednesday affected
his playing and that this slowed up
the Western pair. Certain it is that
he and Burdick were never a real
match for Alexander and Wright, who
played the best tennis they have
shown thus far in the tournament.
Wright was fully 25 per cent. stronger
the net with confidence to engage in
sharp volleying duels.
While never as severe overhead as
Alexander, he was very effective from
inside the service court lines, volleying
with such splendid precision as to
catch both Hayes and Burdick off
guard many times. Alexander was
the master of the match throughout,
his beautiful low volleys drawing ap-
plause from the gallery as he shot
the ball to the corners. At smashing
the old Internationalist was In class
by himself, the ball rarely coming
back once Alexander got his racquet
squarely on 1t.
Alexander's forehand drives were
going with a wicked amount of pace
and top, too, and he mixed up his
pace in a manner that baffled the
Chicago pair. While Burdick's play
| ing was more sensational than that of
his partner, it also was more cratic
Alexander and Wright took the first
set at 6-3 and rushed ahead at the
same irresistible pace in the second,
taking five out of the first six games.
Burdick, whose service was apparently
| proving a difficult thing to handle
won the third and seventh games on
his own delivery before the Eastern
ers had the second set at 60 and a
commanding lead in the match.
| The Chicago team took brief lead
in the third and final set, Hayes win
ming his service in the first and Bur-
| dick repeating in the third. Alexan-
der and Wright made it three all and
then kept straight ahead on their
road to triumph, taking the last three
games for the set at Go and the
match.
Opinion was about evenly divided
last night as to who will win the title
today. ANY feel that if Tilden plays
his best tennis and Richards continues
his brilliant work of the last week the
younger pair will come through. But
the great improvement in Wright's
game and the greater court general
ship of the Internationalists are fac
tors that cannot be overlooked.
Mrs. Wightman and Irving Wright
won a seesaw match yesterday from
Miss Marion Zinderstein and Walter
Merrill Hall in the semi-final round
of the mixed doubles at 81, 60
6-3. Mrs. Wightman played a re-
: markedly brilliant game throughout
as did Miss Zinderstein.