The Washington herald., 1922-08-22
Courts Cleared for Davis
Cup Finals in Two Weeks

NEW YORK, Aug. 21.-Prelimi-
nary rounds disposed Of at last. the
our best tennis players In the United
States will defend the Dwight r.
Davis cup and the true tennis cham
pionship Of the world less than two
weeks hence in "A three-day meeting
with the Australian team, on the
hand-plucked courts Of the West
Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills.
Long Island william T. Tilden.
American singles champion, who did
not trouble to defend his technical
title of worlds singles champion in
this years Wimbledon tournament,
is the main strength of the Amer
lean team But this is not to say
that 1t 10 q one-man team, for little
Bill Johnston, the featherweight Cal
ifornian, Is only slightly less able
than Tilden. and the other two men,
bers. Norris VILLAINS. of Boston. and
young Vincent Richards. OF New
York. had to prove their extraordinary
merit to win places on the squad.
The best man on the Australian
team ts Gerald l. Patterson. who
easily won the singles title at VIM
eledon this summer. but did not re-
gard II as world championship be-
cause Tilden was not there.
The Australians are the survivors
Of group Of fourteen nations which
challenged for the Davis cup this
year and nominated teams to COM
pete for it. Five Of these nations
defauited. either because their tennis
associations could not finance the long
journeys involved or their players
could not absent themselves from their
business Affairs for the long periods
necessary for travel. training and
competition.
Spain arrived at the final round.
through one victory on the courts,
oefeating India, to I, and the de-
faults Of oe Philippines and the
British Isles. The Japanese were
unable to send the strong team
which reached the challenge round
. year ago. and defaulted to Italy,
Nhose team was defeated by the
British Isles. The French team won
BY default from Canada and de-
teated Denmark on the courts and
IN turn was defeated by Australia
at Boston, The Australians won
Tour victories on the courts, from
Belsiunn. czecho-slovakia. France
and Spain.
~Nhh~AA ANoh uCAcnucI8 are OuI
TO win the cup for the sixth time
SINCE 1t was offered by Dwight F.
DAVIS. the fnsncier, in 1900. 1t Is
huge silver bowl which cost
about $500 and 1t is now the
most popular and famous sport
trophy in the world, far more in
terestinE to the rank and nle of
sportsmen than the Americas Cup
which Sir Thomas Upton tries so
often to lift The Davis Cup il
engraved with the greatest names
In tennis. some of which, may we'll
be said to be among the greatest
names in all sport.
The war was breaking out as
the Australians won their first vic
tory and therefore the competition
was held in abeyance until 1919
when IL was resumed, Australia de-
teatins the British Isles. The
United States won the cup back in
1920 and last year defeated Japan
az Forest Hills retaining 1t for
another year.
II Gerald Patterson and Tilden
should meet In the hnal round of
this years American singles cham
pionship tournament. there might
be obtained a clearer title to the
worlds singles championship than
could be won in the Davis Cup
s.ngles But a contest between
these two with the cup at stake,
would have all the elements of q
championship struggle and the win
ner- of their singles match might
well be regarded as the champion
without further bother