New-York tribune., 1922-09-17

on. A dozen steps further the Cali
tornlan was stopped again, this time
by Gerald Patterson, captain of the
Australian Davis Cup team, who, with
his wife and Pat O'Hara Wood, his
doubles partner, had remained in
Philadelphia just long enough to see
the match ere departing for New York
to entrain for Vancouver on their long
journey home
Patterson leaped from his waiting au-
tomobile and grasped Johnston's hand,
while Mrs. Patterson and Wood waved
greeting from the car, and then they
dashed away and Johnston disappeared
into the locker room.
Mistakes of Judgment
In saying that Johnston was the VIC
tim Of two or three deplorable errors
on the part of the linesmen | do not
mean to intimate that these errors
cost the Californian the championship.
His sun had already begun to set in
the fifth set, when these mistakes were
made. but undoubtedly his nerve was
shaken thereby. 1t was more a case
of mental shock, think, than actual
loss of the point that hurt the chal-
lenger, coming, as it did, after those
four nerve-wracking sets that had gone
before.
In the first game of the fifth set,
after the points had reached deuce"
once and Tilden, serving, held the
fierce driving rally by driving a ball
that landed fully eight inches back of
Johnston's base line. The challenger
hit at it, of course, and returned it,
and eventually won the point but only
after q long and tiring duel with his
tall opponent. The gallery, unable to
restrain its feelings, roared in disap-
proval when w. L. Robins, of Philadel-
phia, failed to call Tilden's shot "out."
Again in the fifth game Johnston
was the victim of another bad decision
by the man on the baseline, this time
his own beautifully placed drive being
called "out," when to great majority
Of those in q position to Judge ac-
eurately, it was just inside the inner
edge of the line. This time the loss
of the point meant the loss of the
game, and Johnston appeared to wilt,
for a second, as though these obstacles
were too much to come at such time
in the match.
AS to the match itself, I felt from
the beginning that Tilden was satisfied
to play waiting game, confident in
/ his ability to outlast his man. In the
nlficent play and remarkable accuracy
with his ground strokes and volleying,
the champion never lost his attitude
OF easy confidence. He was forcing
Johnston to cover miles of ground and
mixing up his length with wonderful
Judgment, first driving deep, sometimes
with straight-hit ball, again with a
vicious undercut' slice and then return
ing the ball short, so that Johnston had
TO run hard from his base-line to make
the recovery.
Champion Is Confident
There were many occasions when the
champion scored on clean passing
shots when he had pulled the chal-
ienger inside the service court lines.
put 1t is also true that Johnston got
TO many Of these traps shots and
scored off them, although the effort
inust mus. nave been sapping his reserve
strength even thus early.
! 1llden, it seemed to me. was NOT in
the least ruffied by the loss of this
| opening set; in fact I think he had
calculated on losing it before the match
pegun. In the second set, however. he
began TO put bit more into his play
apparently anxious to draw level be-
lore Johnston could take too command
ing lead. But the little Californian
Vas was not to be trified with at this stage
he was hitting marvelously true and
with unusual caution, and making so
lew mistakes that Tilden, after win
nlng the first two games and leading
again at So, found it impossible to
turn the challenger back.
johnston was still too strong to be
stopped, even by Tilden, and the sec
ond set went to the challenger. who
then, with q lead of two sets. seemed
to be in winning position. For the
first time Tilden lost his look If
}aunty confidence. Not that he was
worried, but he appeared to realize that
only his best would be sufficient to turn
the tide, and SO it proved.
Illden had evidently decided before
the match to call his outlet" service
INTO play only when point was des-
perateiy needed, believing that John
ston would be tempted to oyer-dr;ve
the court when receiving his second.
high bounding, twist service. But the
Californian refused to be tricked into
any such thing. Instead he took plenty
or time to hit when receiving, content
10 sacrifice pace to accuracy. AS a
consequence, all through the first set
ne was careful to get the ball into
play, merely off-service, reserving his
mightlest stroking for the driving
dueis that featured the match.
Johnston I'm Top Form
The former champion was BRINGING
on mis- overland volleys in superb
form, rarely being caught short of no.
sition when he came charging in from
deep court to nail Tilden's returns.
Neither man sought the net position
consistently in the first half of the
match, Tilden, perhaps, because he