The Washington times., 1922-09-17
BILL TILDEN
KEEPS TITLE
UPON COURTS
Defeats Johnston in Straight
Sets After Losing First Two
at Germantown.
By DAVID J. WALSH.

PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 16.-
Broken, as fine young
sapling might break in the
teeth of q storm, William M.
Johnston, Of San Francisco, col
lapsed almost completely in the
fourth and fifth sets before the
compelling rush of William T.
Tilden's game and was beaten in
q dramatic finale for the national
lawn tennis championship In sin
giles today, @6, 3-6, 6-2,
6N3, and Sd.
1t was Tilden's third time In as
many years, and with II went the
tacit ,bestowal of worlds champion
ship honors, for his path to the ten
mis- throne in 1922 was strewn with
the figurative dead bodies Of Gerald
L.. Patterson, champion OF Aus
tralia. and winner at Wimbledon;
Zenzo Shimidzu, champion OF the
Orient, and finally Johnston. who
had disposed Of Manuel Alfonso.
champion of Spain. two days pre-.
viously. The defeat OF Johnston
today was nothing short Of tragic.
Dominated Situation.
An understood. slight figure Of a
man, he dominated the situation
with the autocracy of Romanoff
rs long as his strength held out.
He was all over the court. racing to
the net for acknowledgements that
were beyond human return, smash
ing to the base line corners with the
accuracy of one who placed his shots
as a chess master moves his pawns,
and altogether defying Tilden at
every turn. He handed the iatter's
blisteYing service admirably and was
always the aggressor, not only earn
ing his points, but planning them
strokes in advance. IL
In short, Billy Johnston was at
the flood tide of his greatest tennis
and not even Tilden could stem the
flow of his success. But 1t is a tidal
law that an ebb must inevitably fol-
low the flood.
The first suggestion Of 1t came
in the third set. whore Johnston was
q none too impressive loser at So.
Showed He Was Tired.
He was tired then and he showed
Il in every move. There was a weary
auirk at the corners of his mouth, his
ewes had lost their snap, his legs
their flashing sped. A tired man Is
always an inaccurate man, and
Johnston proved no exception. Steady
enough at ordinary moments. he
made most Of his eighteen errors at
critical moments, and Tilden won
easily. as the point score Of 20 to -
indicates. The turning point really
came in the seventh game OF this set,
where Johnston, squirting on his rag
ring resources, shot what would or
rnla an
aces into Tiiden's court, but the
champion not only returned them all.
but made the returns score aces.
The ten-minute rest revived Johns.
ton momentarily, and when he went
out to a lead Of three-love In games
in the fourth set, the rest OF the nusi-
ness seemed nothing but an empty
formality. No premise could have
been further removed from fact.
Speeding up as Johnston slumped,
Tilden rushed through the next six
eanles to win the set at 6-3, made IL
seven In row in annexing the first
rane of the final set and after drop
ming the second at love, on his own
errors, won the next three wit hthe
loss OF only three points, virtually
clinching the decision.
Returns Are Short.
The tip-off on Johnston's condi-
tion at this juncture Is that where
once ne was able to move up to the
desirable net position with ease his
weary legs now found him at mid
court as Tilden's smashes were
dropped at his feet. In consequences
his returns almost invariably were
short. =.
Johnston did not die without a
brief. though spectacular. rally.
with the count reading five-three
In games and Tilden needing Just
two points to win game. set. match
and fame immortal. Johnston sud
denly mustered a vestige Of his de-
parted speed, came to the net three
times running and smashed place
ments into the corners Of the court
20 break Tiiden's service at 5-3. But
having thus flashed his last rally
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