New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-05-16
New Rochelle
Star Pressed
Hard by Rival
Staten Island Player Fal-
iers in Final Set and
Loses 5 Games ana Row
By Fred Hawthorne

Alfred D. Hammett. of New Rochelle,
u-on the Harlem Challenge Cup yester-
sov afternoon by defeating Kenneth D.
pishsr, of Huruenot, Staten Island, by
..oys Of Us, liz, 7---5, in the final
Ind Of the Harlem Tennis Clubs an
anal open singles tournament. Ham
,nstt Is the second man to win reg on
,ss challenge trophy, Fred c. Anderson
hsv;nc wen the first leg last year.
AZ the score indicates, the match was
ayceedingly close from start to finish,
with Fisher threatening right up to
he last few games in the third set.
ma Staten Island player should have
Won the opening set without trouble,
for he was outplaying Hammett with
sass aud held the lead at SO, but
tbare ne faltered badly, allowing his
spponent to run out the next five
canes in 8 row for the set at rs.
In the second set, after desperate
struggle for the points, Fisher came
fron, behind at ID and went into the
lead az Is. On Hammett's service in
tbe fifteenth game Fisher needed only
noint to give him the set, but he
threw away his chances by glaring er-
rors, and thereafter, although ne fought
With great determination, Hammett
finally pulled out the set at 11-9.
Fisher Fights to Last
The third set found Fisher lighting
still. but he was showing signs o.
weariness, the result of ceaseless run
ming after Hamm etts well-plaeed shots,
and in the last two or three games the
Staten Island representative had diff
Guilty in covering his court under the
nail of placement shots that Hammett
kept playing into the unprotected
SPOTS.
During the three sets Fisher ran up
an unusual number of errors, and it
was these that meant certain defeat
for him, in spite of the fact that his
earned points far exceeded Hammett's.
Fifteen times the Staten Island star
served double faults, and he scored to-
tails Of forty-five nets and nfty-nine
outs for q grand total of 119 errors.
His placements totaled ifty-two and
his service aces three.
Hammett made but thirteen earned
shots in the match, but only seventy
one errors, consisting of thirty nets,
thirty-six outs and FIVE double faults.
The winners tactics were plainly to
keep the bali in play until his opponent
made tAe errors, and that he succeeded
is shown by these totals.
Fisher began the service and took
The opening game, dropped the second
and then ran out the next three. He
vas driving with furious speed off his
forehand, shoe. .ng his returns mostly
10 Hammett's deep backhand, and
overhead he was very severe on short
Jobs. Hammett seemed nervous and
unable to hit the ball clearly, and
after Fisher had worked into lead
= L., = 4
neas at hand.
Hammett Finds His Range
But the complexion Of the match
underwent sudden change at IT,.
point, Fisher beginning to go wild On
his shots, while Hammett was finding
the range Of the court and scoring,
mostly on his opponents errors.
Fisher kept overdriving the base line
as he and Hammett exchanged drives,
and his voleying also suffered in eff
1ectiveness as he kept netting his re-
turns. Hammett took the next five
games for the set, allowing Fisher
total oi only II points in those
sessions.
Hammett went into d lead of SIS
in the second set. He was playing
with all confidence, chopping on every
stroke and placing his returns so skill
4u!Iy as 30 Torce tlSher TO cover miles
OF court. The speed and pace of his
opponents shots did not seem to
bother Hammett greatly, although he
relied almost entirely on purely de-
feusive tactics.
The New Rochelle man was gradu-
ally breaking up Fishers driving at
Jack by clever change OF pace, and the
latter rarely came up to the net except
when short Iobs tempted him inside
tae service court lines, and then he
usually managed to put the ball away
ior the finishing point.
Fisher steadied down for a time
and won four out of the next FIVE
games, giving him the lead at 70,
and he led again at 81, but could
not come through with the winning
points. He was plainly tired from the
pace and began to make errors over
head in his anxiety to score. Ham
nett, playing with deceptive softness,
won the set at liz, and then they
went into the third.
Fisher again began service and led
Ut FL, but then Hammett took the
next three, mixing up the length of
ms chop drives cleverly, so that
FISHER was usually reaching far for
the ball. The Staten Island player
squared the set at ALL and at Sail
ana then Hammett ran out the next
pso games for the set and match,
FISHER sending his return Of service
out Of court for the final point.