The Cordova daily times., 1920-12-27
BIG STRUGGLE
 TENNIS COURT
 ON THIS WEEK

ated Press). The premier tennis
 players of the world as represented by the United States and Australasia teas will meet on the turf courts at Auckland, New Zealand this week in the fifteenth struggle for the Davis cup. The trophy emblematic of the of the worlds team tennis cham pionship, occupies the unique posi- tion of being the most frequently competed for international sport prize in the history of amateur ath Dwight F. Davis, at that time Ameri- can doubles champion with Holcombe Ward. the trophy has been battled for fl times in the past 20 years. Dur ing this period Australasian teams have won it six times; British Isles players five times and United States combinations three times.
 In the coming matches, which will consist of four singles contests and one doubles match, the United States will appear in the role of challenger
 and the Australasians as defenders Four Americans composing the 1920
 team arrived at Auckland, December 15, the party consisting of William T.
 Tilden, of Philadelphia; William M. Johnston, of San Francisco; Watson c h nf nrIy nd uel Hardy, of Chicago. The defend ing quartet, so far as is known in this country, will probably be composed of Gerald Patterson, Norman Brookes, R. V. Thomas and H. O'Hara Wood The actual alignment of players will not be announced until shortly before the matches. It is expected that Til l den and Johnston will bear the brunt of the American attack while Patter- son and Brookes will be the Austral asian "aces."
 Close followers of tennis are in clined to be optimistic regarding the outcome of the matches believing that
 in Tilden. worlds singles champion,
 and Johnston, former American
 champion, who is rated just stroke
 or two below Tilden at the present
 time. the United States has an in
 vincible pair. Watson is formid-
 able relief player in case either of
 the stars become indisposed while
 Hardy, who in reality is captain and manager of the team, can play su- perlative game if occasion demands.
 Patterson is the power in the Aus tralasian team playing a game simi- lar to that of Maurice Mclaughlin, when the latter was at the top of his tennis form. Brookes, undoubtedly one of the greatest player of all times, is well advanced in years from play ing standpoint and cannot be expect ed to carry the burden of two singles matches and one doubles match in three days. If he pairs with Patter- the singles It may be however. that Brookes and Patterson will devote their efforts to the singles and leave the doubles contests to Thomas and Wood, who make a most formidable team.
 A study of the vast amount of data which has accumulated in connection with IA years of play for the Davis Cup shows that not including the pre- liminary rounds of the 1920 matches. 6S players representing nine nations have participated in the play for the international tennis trophy. Of this number the British Isles has used IS and the United States IT, Austral- asia is third with ten and France, Belgium and South Africa follow with five each. All told these players took part in 233 matches which went to decision and one match resulted in a
 tie.
 The veteran Brookes holds the in dividual honors having been a mem
 Der of the Australasian team in eight different years. During this period he played A matches of which he won
 36. The late Anthony Wtlding,
 compeer of Brookes who was killed
 during the World War, holds second
 honors for during his seven years of
 competition he played 37 matches of which he won 2S J. c. Parke, the English veteran ranks third with 23
 matches and 12 victories w. A..
 Larned and M. Mclaughlin, Stwo out
 standing stars of Americdn tennis.
 are tied with 20 matches each. Larned
 has a slightly better winning average
 with 13 victories to McLoughlin's 12.