The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-30
Murray Eliminates Alexander
and Voshell Wins From Bid
die in National Tennis.
ny FREDERICK q. LIEB.


national championship tennis touYn,-
Z ir'ent at Forest Hills late yesterday af-
! ternoon and unused UP the programme
There never will be any telling whether
/ THIS torrentisl downpour came AZ n
blessing in disguise TO William Tilden
I 70 OF Philadelphia or whether Il was
Just a nasty rain which broke up an
interesting set Of matches that stI!l left
nine men In the hunt for the title
Sufnee IL TO say that the lank Quaker
Was very much relieved when tire down
roDc made further play impossible. He
was lighting with his back 10 the wal
4 when the match vas called. Walter
Merrill Hall, who surprised Walter
4 Hayes the day before by putting him
J cut Of the tournament, showed Tllden
more stun than william No. ? has been
asked to cope with this summer Hail
/ put over his first big surprise in the
first set, which ne won hsndily at e-S
Ttlden won the NEXT one Just as
I easily at s-l, and the gallery came
10 the conclusion that tire FIRST set Just
served as warming up exercise for
l Tflden. and that he would have easy
eotng the rest Of the way. But here
Hall worked another surprise, winning
the third set. rs. About twenty min
utee time was taken out In the latter
! part Of this set because OF rain. 20 the
| players decided to go on with the fourth
set without the customary wait
Hall Fights Hara.
However, shortly after the fourth set
| was started Il began 10 rain harder
| than at any time during the afternoon.
| but Hall and Tilden kept az IL The
local man started the set by reeling on
three straight games the second and
2 tH,r5 hal
| h-aced, and won the next two. The
| sixth game was another deuce AFFAIR
with Tilden serving, when the match
| finally was called.
1t 10 n question whether the match
! should have been continued in that
/ iownpour as lorg as 81 was. Veteran
/ tennis followers esid they never had
/ seen a championship match played In
such a downpour. There was no doubt
that Hall wanted TO go as ions as ne
| could, as he felt he had his opponent
| on the run and could hnish him Tiiden
on the other hand did not relish the wet
going. and showed Il.
Robert Lindley Murray and Fred
Anderson got started before Hail ana
T1lden and completed Their match Just
before the downpour. though it was
showerine in their NTH set. Murray
won In 1--WE sets. but Il must be con-
| fessed his playing was nothing TO rave
over The Californian won by e-S,
ts-s. 60. IS Go. Murray seemed
! to have suffered a relapse after his
easy victory over Pei, last Wednesday.
| and his play at times was very erratic-
Admitting that Alexander. despite the
| fact that he is no longer 4 youth, 10 a
more formidable opponent than Pell,
Murray was expected 10 win the match
without being obliged 10 let himself out
some flashes OF his former brtlhancy,
bu. Alexander PLAYED him much AFTER
The fashion with which he wore down
Young Hal Throckrnorton on the day
previous.
The veteran was steadier. and made
Murray earn every point, while he scored
many himself when Murray drove into
the net, !nto the alleys and outside the
base lines. Especially was Murray's
control poor In the hrst two sets. when
he sent any number Of balls two. three
and four inches outside OF the back lines
Murray's service. however. was his
salvation Internationally IL saved hm
from defeat Time and again he pulled
himself up with service aces. driving
the BALI through with such speed that IL
bounded OF Alexander's racket, II ne
touched Il at all In the third game or
the fourth set, after Alexander had the
\
secutive points on what practically were
aces Alexander nibled at few Of
them. but that was all
Power In Reserve.
uovever. the fact that Murray was
able to win twice by 60. after the
match was tied. showed the power ne
b.d In reserve when he realized danger
threatened
The point with which Alexander won
the fourth set was an amusing one ana
should be set down in tennis history.
Eddie Conlin. who has umpired many
of the leading matches IN the country
said he never had seen another one like
n According to- Conlin. the ball struck
so,,r inches on Alexanders side of the
net. then climbed up the tape, balanced
i,.eif a bit on the top of the net, and
then fell dead on the other side In such
a way that a play on II was impossible
The match between 1chiya kumaeae
and Reals Wright also was drowned out
while the pair were having hard battle
In the frst set. Wright was in front at
IS when they called 1t day. They
No longer could find the ball in the rain
drous. Wright was holding his own
very well with his famous Oriental rival.
The match promises 10 be long dis
lance affair on the order OF the kashio-
Dionne go as you please OF the early
mart OF the week. Both played well In
the hack court and the ball frequently
became dizzy from the number OF times
n travelled back and forth. Before the
match finally was called OF the players
took a twenty minute intermission be-
cause OF the rain after only few games
had been played.
Favorites Fail TO DaEsle.
On the whole none of the three lead
ing fayorites for the championship
Tqlden, Murray or Kumagae-was par
ticularly dazzling yesterday. Neverthe-
less II IL true that the competition in
the 1918 tournament has been greater
than in years. largely because of the fact
that players of lesser renown are oblig-
ing the favorites 10 step lively to remain
with the elect
kumagae's countryman. kashio whose
match twice had to he called on ac-
count of darkness, finally was put out of
the tournament yesterday when Lyle E.
Mahan won the two games necessary TO
give him the fourth set at s-6.
Lieut.. 3. Howard Voshell Of Brook
Iyn was the first to qualify for the
semi-hnals when he defeated another
aviation officer. Lieut.. Craig Biddle Of
Philadelphia. at ga, Is. 81. This
was the first OF the matches held and
was during the hottest part of a sticky
day As Lieut., Biddle is getting a bit
plump around the waist he felt the heat,
though ne made quite a rally in the
third set. but eventually was forced TO
yield TO the Brooklyn lefthander.