New-York tribune., 1921-02-24
Mrs. Wood Gets
Chance to Win
Back Net Grown
Former Florida Champion
to Face Miss Walsh i'm
Final Tennis Match To-day
BY Fred Hawthorne

PALM bEACH, Fla, Feb. 23.-The
playing-through champion and a for
mer holder Of the title reached the
final round this afternoon in the an
ma! women's lawn tennis tournament
for the championship of Florida on the
clay courts of the Palm Beach Tennis
Club.
On the center court Miss pbvl,;s
walsh, who won the leg on the Flag
Ter Gold Challenge Cup last wear de-
feated Mrs. NJ. L. Hiscoe, of New York.
by a score of 6-l, 6--1, and on the
gallery court Mrs. Rawson Wood of
New York, former Florida champion.
took the measure of Miss Annette TIL
ford, of New York, 6-s, CO.
Howard M. Wing, chairman of the
tournament committee. has scbedu,ad
the final and championship match be-
tween the New York star and the nres.
ent champion for tomorrow afternoon
at 8 o'clock
Sisters Form Doubles Team
Ihere are also two doubles matches
between the women players scheduled.
MISS Tlltord and Miss Gertrude Con-
way facing the famous golfng sisters.
Mrs Ernest Byfeld and Miss Elaine
Rosenthal, of Chicago, at 10:3o in the
morning, in the second round AT A.9n
.. m Mrs. Wood and Miss Walsh will
play MRS. D. Calhoun and Mrs. John
Rutherford in another second round
match' The winners in these tests
brackets. '''i ID |
One team Miss Katherine 0,BorrLo
ana Miss Marjorie Dunlap, Of New
York. went into the lower semi-tinaI f1
s6lTacket this afternoon by defeating
m MISS Rebecca Thompson and Miss
Feggy !hayer, of PhiladeIphia. bv q
score, of 60, 10, 6-1, in the second
round 'e00'o
Inc outstanding combinations in the
Womens W.: doubles are Mrs. George W
Wlghtman, of Boston, former national
champion, and Miss Katherine Force
and Mrs. Wood and Miss Walsh and
Ss they are IN opposite sections Of the
niaw tney should meet for the cham
plonshlp IN the final round.
Mrs. Wood started the service
against Miss Tilford, but lost the first
Lhree games. She had no control over
ner nf; ground strokes at this stage. while
t"'sS I!1ord was stroking beautifullv
her hard driving forcing Mrs. Wood IN
me defensive, close TO her hase linz
A-Uhougn new to important tournament
play, Miss TiIford has the natnrai
ABILITY to hit the ball with unusual
pace, particularly on her forehand
srouna strokes and on her service and
Takes Last Six Games
For few minutes at the start ~ ~ -
match it looked as though ber s+ro1rc. Sr'o
&ttack would overwhelm Mrs. WOOD
!lh the beginning of the third gam e.
however, the former champion gained
bonCroI OF her own shots and then she
oreezed straight through to victory
IN the opening set, taking the last siy
games IN row.
j., MISS Tlford soon found herself nm
IN the defensive, for she could not GET
Her racquet into position ouicS "
enough to intercept the perfect rain
OF placement shots that Mrs. Wood
sent ripping through the court Tho
former champions backhand which
had been utterly unreliable at the
start, had increased cmazinplv botb
IN speed and accuracy, but it was WIKI
ner NE low 1orehand drives that Mrs.
wood paved her path to victory.
Many times Miss Tilford attempted
to cut the bal off by forcing the net
position, but almost invariably She
found this costly experiment, for her
opponent finished off the points bv
passing brilliantly down the side lines,
varying these tactics occasionally by
cfoss-c;ourtlng as she took the ball On
the full voIley.
Under the stress of severe comDeti-
tition Miss TiNord became overanx-
ious and in her attempts to score on
kills" she sacrificed many points by
driving or smashing out or into the
net. The last game of this set was
featured by Mrs. Woods four consec-
utive placement aces for q "love"
game, the ball never striking more
than three inches from the side lines.