New-York tribune., 1920-09-07
Tilden Defeats
Johnston for
National Title
Champion Wins New Ten
mis- Honor at Forest Hills
i'm the Greatest Match
Ever Played ON Amy Court
Takes 3 Out of 5 Sets
Cameness of Loser Is Un-
availing Against Philade1-
phian's Remarkable Play
By Fred Hawthorne

BY Fred Hawthorne
William T. Tilden I'd, national
champion, all-England champion, the
worlds champion! Never did a man
earn his title more clearly, more con-
vncingly, than did Tilden yesterday
afternoon when he defeated William
M. Johnston, the playing through
champion, in the final round of the ma
tional championship lawn tennis tour
nament on the championship turf court
of the West Side Tennis Club, at For
est Hills, L. L., by a score of 6-1, 1-6,
| IS, ST, 6-3.
No man or woman who sat through
those five heart breaking sets that saw
the slender little Johnston go down to
| glorious defeat will ever forget the
nerve-racking features of match that
must take its place in lawn tennis an
nails as the greatest that ever was
F! played in any court.
| I know that other matches have been
similarly described-McLoughli VS..
Norman Brookes, in 1914; Williams vs.
McLoughlin, at Newport, in 1919;
Johnston vs.. Richard Norris williams
I'd, in 1915, for example; but none of
| these can rank with yesterdays classic.
Every feature was there, the swayng
fortunes of the match itself; the amaz-
ing brilliance of Tilden's tennis; the
! tremendous courage shown by John
ston and the tragedy of the aeroplane
that hovered low over the field, only to
crash, with death in it's wake, 200 feet
from the courts few seconds later.
Spectators Exhausted by Strain
Malcolm D. Whitman, national cham
pion from 1898 to 1900, who sat bes
side me throughout the match, was
Almost as exhausted, nervously. at the
ID Of the five furious sets as either
; Tilden or Johnston. Three men, at
different times during the fourth and
fifth sets, left their seats nearby and
went into the clubhouse. absolutely
unable to stand the strain of watching
! Tilden and Johnston battle desperate-
. ly for the title.
After it was all over and the great
tension had been ended, as Johnston
lost his championship by driving his
return of Tilden's service out of
court, half foot beyond the base
line. / could not ne p the feeling that
the slender Californian had been play
ing against a game almost fifteen
stronger than his own yesterday and
had prolonged the match to five ex-
haustins sets through sheer courage
and a bulldog tepacity that refused to
admit defeat until he was literally
beaten into the ground
Illden showed courage too splendid,
thrilling courage, but nothing ever
seen on the courts has been equalled
by the exhibition of the Spartan little
Californian.
Johnston Game Loser
All through the final set Johnston
was beaten man, but he refused to
admit it, Worn to ragged edge, his
speed and stamina gone, the defend
ing champion fought mis- conqueror
tooth and nail After the games had
reached 8 all: Tilden, scenting victory
as he noted JohnstoE's weakness, put
on tremendous burst of speed that
was positively irresistible and won the
next three games.
Trailing at 3-5. Johnston then
staged glorious rally and carried the
last game Of the match to deuce three
times before going down, literally
beaten to his knees by superior speed,
strength and stamina.
No man in the world could have
stood against Tilden yesterday. John
ston played perfect tennis from start to
fini sh, but Tilden flashed super-tennis al
times. and it was this that conquered.
There were periods when the new cham
pion faltered badly; when Johnston's
bulldog fight had the big Philadelphia ian
back on his heels and apparently
pointed for defeat, but each time Til
den rallied, bringing off shots that
dazed the crowd Of 10000 persons and
proved impossible Ct return.
Possibly the greatest feature of Til
den's game yesterday was the power OF
his service. This was always a weapon
that Johnston never could fight sue
cessfuily against. Need l say more than
that eighteen times during the match
Tildcn scored service aces against his
opponents? And there was no mistak-
ing the decIsiveness of these aces.
Fail TO Touch Ball
To be thoroughly conservative in
the matter, | only made notes in the
stroke analysis Of those services in
which Johnston failed even to get his
racquet on the bali. There were per-
haps half o dozen other occasions on
which the Californian got his racquet
into position, with no chance Of keep
tcosaisusd 90 psss nfsssa)
coon MoRNTNel
Mrs. A.--That maid 10 q wonder! Where