The Washington herald., 1921-09-14
Victor Stages Remarkable
Comeback in Great Victory
Beaten in First Two Sets, rs, 3-6, Cali
fornian Rallies, Winning Last Three, 6-3,
&+7,l2lPlaysT Tilden Today for Title.
] RoBERr z. HARLoN.

"a d[IANIOWN, Pa sept ia
handxH Of gifted athletes possess
the fleet touch. With 1t they
win national and international
aIzb<onships at tennis. at golf,
and at billiards.
Bill Johnston OF California. is
one Of the select who has a mas
ter's touch at tennis. and he never
applied IL better than today when
he needed ais greatest skill2to beat
Vincent Richards of New York. in
a remarkable nve-set match in the
third round of the national tennis
chappionship. Johnston applies a
tenr1I<racket with the same hneesse
villa Hoppe applies his cue. and
chic -Evans his iron clubs. These
men1N possess a superiatiye touch.
and ~ is this more than anything
else AZ wins for them.
Ii as this way today, for Rich
ardSEz1bn~thes first two sets from
Johnston and appeared to have the
match. but in the third set john
stonfs arm and wrist began 10 re-
spond and his greater skill carried
him arough winner.
rfrffn VS.. Johnston Today.
TIE setting was ideal. Club Of
hCAdl8 LhaN A-sVNN
siasts were grouped about the exhi-
bfti1n court. II was as brilliant a
gathering as ever witnessed a
spolting event anywhere An even
larger gallery is expected tomor-
row when the 1921 tennis season
viii reach the peak. with Johnston
playing against William Tilden, the
international champion, on the CEN
ter court
Tflden, won easily from Shenzo
Shirhidzu, the Japanese Davis CUP
player, in three sets. His play was
auire different from his match
against the same opponent at For
est Hills in the challenge round
OF the Davis Cup. when IL required
ave sets for Tilden to beat shim-
idzu
Tiidrn was hurt by critics who
ehafged that at Forest Hills he
played with shinidzu Tor the pur-
pose of making the match more
Interesting. allowing the Japanese
to lead and rising up when he
really needed points. taking them
by brilliant stIoking. He played
today before a hometown audience
and-isft no opportunity for criti-
cism.He hit his finest and best
shots from the start, and was al
sexether too strong for Shimidzu.
winning at 6-+, ga, 81.
world Title at stake.
The draw is such that Tilden and
Johnston will meet tomorrow. They
are the outstanding figures in the
tennis world. They are entitled to
be rated as the two foremost play
ers5 for they have just come
through the challenge round of the
Davis Cup without losing a match
Their contest will be a really
worlds championship game in ten
mis-. Many. thought that Johnston
Z was to be put aside by Richards
Rut Johnston's firmest supporters
never lost faith in him and are
now backing the Californian to beat
Tilden and then romp through TO
the championship. The winner OF
thet Tilden-Johnston match Will
undbubtedIy face X. Norris Will
Hams I'd in the finals. for Will
Hams is working his way through
the other half of the draw.
Richards gave a mastertul ex-
hibttion- He was especially brill
1iant In the first set and very
nearly as good in the second He
won these sets at So, 6-3. He ana
Johnston gave a solid exhibition OF
the SIashing brand. known as
American tennis They stroVe Tor
A point practically every time they
hit the ball. The earned place.
ments far outnumbered the errors.
Nothing could be finer in tennis
than Johnston's forehand stroking
in the last three sets. He had
nF the hall and
slashed IL over the net at be-
wildering pace. He was not out
there to merely get the ball back.
he was there to place 1t out of
Richards reach, and he took chance
after chance in his effort to raise
the chalk on the sidelines.
Richards had won the first two
sets So. 6-S. At this point all
but the most optimistic Of the
californian's hackers had given his
cause up for lost.
But Johnston was not to be de-
MED.
Starting the third set he turned
loose that terrific brand of playing
for (which he is famous. He threw
caution to the winds and stroke
after stroke was played directly at
the white. dusty chalk lines. His
control was almost perfect and his
placements far outnumbered his
-outs His bold stroking was well
rewe Sded.
As the third set wore on the
Westerner seemed to be gaining In
strength. Richards, however, was
noticeably slowing up. The pace
seemed too great for the youthful
Yonkers star and when Johnston
took the third set the match ap-
peared to have come TO eyens again.
Richards made his final bid for
the chance to meet Tilden tomor-
row in the fourth set.
He started out like a whirlwind.
Hisitennis was as his first two sets
had been-almost perfect. But the
VIII alone wasn't enough. He
lacked the stamina, and when the
set ended II was Johnston, not
Richards, on the winning end.
The fifth set was practically all
Johnston. His years Of experience
were too much for his younger op-
ponent and he took this set and
the match. The last set ended 6-2.