New-York tribune., 1920-04-01
Boy Champion
Winner in Hard
Two-Set Match
Young Wizard Beats Former
Title Holder. So. 6-4
Also Scores in Doubles
Bv Fred Hawthorne

ne ffth round OF the mems national
indoor lawn tennis championship sin
-les st The 7th Regiment Armory, Vim
cent Richards, the marvellous seventeen
year-o old playing-through champion. de-
feated :. Howard Noshcll in straight
sets 81 SIS. G-4 and reached INTO the
seni-Gnal round.
I'm the other brackets William 7.
Tidcn. I'd, Of Providence. yanquishcd
Percy L. kynaston. o. Long Island. by
i score Of Go. IS; Willard Botsford,
of Columbia University, defeated the
veteran G. Charlton Shafer at 6 8,
s s. 81. and Samuel Hardy. the Cali
fornian. overcame Samuel Robert Mae
Alister, Of the 1th Regiment Tennis
Club. by score Of 3-6, Go. 6-4
This. afternoon at o'clock Tildcl
will face Botsford in the upper half,
sem-fnal round while Richards or
poses the experienced Hardy in the
over section. The final and CHAMPION
ship round viii be played tomorrow
afternoon.
Eigh. pairs survived the day Of play
IN the doubles, with the outstanding
favorites coming through according to
form. OF these Tilden and Richards:
thc present champions: Hardy and
Noshel and Wylic {. Grant and Shafer.
former title holders, are the leading
contenders for the final brackets, with
Trden and Richards favored to re-
tain their honors when the final match
i. played Saturday afternoon.
Match Up to Expectations
The Richards -Noshell match, looked
forward 70 as one OF the. feature
struggles Of the tournament. came up
20 expectations in every way, and to
add 70 its attractiveness the light con-
iltions were unusually good, so that
neither player was troubled so much
oy the speed of the others shots as is
generally the case in the big drill hall
The largest gallery OF the week saw
he men battle for victory.
Without attempting to go into too
much detail as to how the tide ebbed
and flowed and Of how the youthful
Richards brought about the aggressive
Noshells defeat by pitting dazzling
skill and court hnesse against the for
rler chamDion's s net-storming tactics. it
will suffice to say that the seventeen
year-old title holder deserved to win.
Not only did Richards outpay his
rival on strokes, but he outguessed
Voshel in the crucial periods Some
times it was lob. played deep to the
base line a Noshell came rushing
FOR the net; again it was wonder
fuIlv tinc volley across the court. with
Noshell caught out of position. that
earned the point for the Champion
do not believe there are more than
one or two men in this country to-day
who arc the equal of Richards at vol
;ng. There is deftncss and deli
cacy and marvellous faculty for shoot
ing the ball through the smallest Of
openings that is rarely seen in such
ieh degree o. perfection as in Rich
ar6ss game
Noshel Battles Gamely
Noshell fought hard throughout. His
on The court. and he never gave I'D try
lng, never abandoned hope until the
ina point was lost as Richards drove
oack 4 deep lob directly 10 the former
champions feet and to his backhand.
Noshcu made & desperate try for the
oali, but his return landed out Of court
and Ire match was over, and with it
Nosheli : hopes Of landing perma cent
possession Of the championship trophy,
on which he already has two legs
lhc match began with Noshcll serv-
ing, and the men alternated in winning
on service up 70 2-all, when Richards
oroAe through his opponents delivery
oy some remarkable clever work at the
ne'. during which he slipped he ball
over at such angles that Noshcll was
.rlcked ont OF position. Richards took
ne sixth game on his own service. af-
.er deuce" had been called. giving
aim the lead at % on games.
Another long deuce" game followed
IN the seventh, with Noshell finally win
ning. The former title-holder earned
most OF MS points by very severe VOL
eylng. as he followed his service into
me net position like fash
Ihey divided honors on the mex. two
games, Richards losing the tenth game
as ne result Of a foot-fault called by
) W. Merrhew when vhe champion
was leading at 4o-30 on points and
va, Vas within single point Of the set.
mere was no doubt that Merrihew
was correct in his rulings, but his de
cislons affected Richsr-s rar more Sc
nously than they did Noshell, for i,
VAS mostly on the title holders second
sstylce PAL that Richards was penal-
zee, and TINS meant the loss o. the
Richardss Play Battling
Although he vas plainly fuy,ered bv
ne ruNng Richards gathered himself
se'ner spiendidlv and ran out the
ne@I three games with the loss OF onlv
) points. mixing 10 his game in =
manner that bafed VoshelI. who was
no, so steady as usual overhead.
an amusing Incident occurred In the
~ game q TINS set, when Richards.
~ho vas serving, stood on the service
me ana went through the motions Of
eFFlng as he waited for Voshell TO
ass hls place IL court
ne champion did no- throw the bali
no me AR, nor strike i, With his
Zee swing w!th the idca % corrcct;ro - no
hlr foot-fauIfinp y,. Nrxf,o ~