The New York herald., 1922-03-25
BRILLIANT TENNIS
BEATS MRS. JESSUP
Indoor Title Contender Bows
to Miss Bancroft, Who
Rallies i'm Time.

Special Dispatch TO THE NEW YoRK HERALD
Boston, March 24.-Mrs. Molla Blur
stedt Mallory of New York will defend
her national indoor singles title against
Miss Leslie Bancroft OF Longwood to-
morrow afternoon in the final and
championship round OF the women's
annual national indoor lawn tennis
tournament at Chestnut Hill. The
title holder came through the semi.
final round to-day by winning deci.
sively from Miss Edith Sigourney OF
Longwood at 6-1, 6-3. while in the
other singles event Miss Bancroft
sprang one Of the greatest upsets in
tennis history by defeating Mrs. Marion
Zinderstein Jessup of Wilmington by
score of Is, 6-3, Go. To do this
Miss Bancroft had to win the last
twelve games of the match in row. q
performance probably unprecedented
In national tournament.
Mrs. Jessup made partial atonement
for her failure in the singles by winning
the doubles championship paired with
Mrs. Frank III. Godfrey OF Longwood
The new title holders defeated Mrs
Mallory and Mrs. Lewis Gouverneur
Morris OF New York by scores OF Ct
6-3. cleanly outplaying their opponents
all the way.
In the mixed doubles the teams OF
Mrs. Mallory and William T. Tilden I'd
and Mrs Godfrey and Richard Norris
" illiams I'd came through to the final
round. Mrs Mallory and Tilden de-
feated Mrs. Jessup and Irving c. Wright
at Us, CO, and Mrs Godfrey and
Williams scored over Miss Bancroft and
Burnham Dell at 5--7, 7--5. 6--5. The
for the championship. following the sin
giles match.
Miss Bancroft's surprising and spac-
tacular victory ever Mrs. Jessup. a
player ranked five numbers above her
In the national list last year. was the
chief topic about the courts this after
noon. After losing the first set at 1t
and trailing in the secon1 ct o--3 and
apparently trembling on the brink cf
defeat Miss Bancroft staged a maGnif-
cent rally. Her aggressive attack never
relaxed for moment until the vlctor.'
was hers.
20 shots by Placement.
TO indicate at what pace Miss Ian
croft was travelling in the last two sets
1t is only necessary to point OFT that
the Longwood star made total Of
twenty-six earned shots by placement
In the last twelve games, compared 70
Mrs Jessup's total of five, and in the
last set the winner had a total of thir-
teen against her rivals none.
rysf- IL f&eAge
Of the sudden change that came over the
playing of both girls. In the first set
Mrs. Jessup was having things all her
own way. dropping only one game out
of seven. Miss Bancroft could not get
any length to her ground stro <es and
overhead she was soft and uncertain,
SO that Mrs. .Tcssup following into the
net after service was able TO smother
the next return either by a decisive
smash of a short lob or by sharp, beau
tifully angled shots across court.
Perhaps 1t was the very fact that
matters were going so smoothly for her
at this stage that helped TO throw Mrs.
Jessup off her balance when the up
heaval came. Just when 1t seemed all
over for Miss Bancroft the Longwood
left handler started suddenly to stroke
the bait with vicious speed and pace
and after she had taken the fourth
game of the second set BY scoring on
sizzling passing shots down the side
lines as Mrs. Jessup started n rush for
the net. she regained her confidence and
never lost it thereafter.
Miss Bancroft won game after game
AZ giddy speed, to the evident discom-
future OF Mrs. Jessup, who saw her big
lead slipping rapidly frasc her. The
Longwood player was ripping fcrehand
aud backhand drives through Mrs. Jes-
sup's court and following in behind
these forcing shots TO take returns on
the full volley on end matters by de-
cisive smashing. After winning the sec
ond and squaring the match, Miss Ban
croft maintained the same splendid pace
in the third set, after the ten minute rest
period, and literally swampod her OPP
ponent under a rain of speedy drives
and severe sharp volleys and smashes
not allowing Mrs. Jessup a single game
or single earned point. 1t was an inn
pressive exhibition OF good tennis and
sDlendfd fighting spirit.