The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-08-19
Veteran MoIla Mallory Battles GameIy To Slave Off De-
 feat, Then Gracefully AC-
 ceptS The Inevitable
By HARLAN s. MILLER Leased Wire to The AGe-Her0Id.)

perfected tennis and mature stamina, she pushed Molla BJurstedt Mallory off the top rung of American tenHAs ,l. and gracefully, almost eftortIessIys began the Wills regime.
 Now only Suzanne Lenglen bars Miss Wius path to the feminine championship of the world. The ac- robatic French lass is 8 barrier that Miss Wills should seem, take In her stride when she reaches It.
 The score of her victory, 6-2, 6-1' by no means gives clue to the bsffline dualitv of the game played bv the. animated Green statue from the west coast. There was some thing almost impudent about the impassive manner she toYed with the powerful and long feared Nlis ob'ar1 ,'1I11 Iosy, a veteran of 10 years oL L5 cham pfopship play and tho1saHu .I mai 'ghes; hurried her from side to side fvf the court with uncanny stIoh -ing a,td handeuffed her with mag rai cb.Cnge of pace; passed her WlIh , da zzling drives or goaded her ;nto des oerate netted returns.
 Miss wrnv Best Stroke.
 low furehand lawford was the stroke tha registered tne R5eeT.S oi.o sor Mics Wills. Her backhand also as TowerfuI but masterly tootWork and easv SD eed placed her In posi- ton for forehNnd returns when many nfavers woul6s have felt thanKIui to reacb the ball with the reversed t.d1,e ~ sbe thumped low trajectory sbots a1ternately to the far corners: 11l,ar when she had Mrs. Mallory or balance or on her heels, she Woulu dump a sassy little cut Just over 6le Sne De+ bevond reach of sprint. one of +bese short strokes carried so much English that 1t bounded clear hack into Wills territory.
 Inexplicably, Helen's sturdy legs seemed able to carry her any WIle1e DSithin the 4o-foot court in just one strida More often she appeared able +o reach any ball merely by oendlns' Tn contrast Mrs. Mallory was oIlen obliged to scurry enersetlcaIIy 9LteI an angtilar return which shaved the
 Helen kept her opponent constant 1v on the defensive never allowing her to rush the net for longer than a stroke or two, and usually 1orceo her out of position, Miss Mallory; When the latter's sharply ahgieu shots forced her out of position. Miss wills saved herself by sending pack law. floating lobs which gave her ample time for leisureIy return 10 the center of the court
 MoIa Uses Little Strategy.
 To many tennis players in the stands-and it was as keen gal lery of players as has assembled at the W est ClQG sNdhAAAA ANN nonths-it seemed that Mrs. Mallory overlooked a bet in failing to tease the younger girl a little with lops and shorter strokes. She cluhg tenaciously to her forcing iorehah1 game when not compelled to employ the backhand.
 breaking through Miss Wills first two service games, although losing her own initial service. But alteT Inc fourth game when Helen eyened matters by breaking through sec- ond service game, the match was plainly hers at her own gait; besln5 ming with this game, she raceu through five straight for the ses turning back a rally In the ma set-to with an ease that spelled de- feat for the woman who has seven times been American champion.
 Momentarily it struck the specta- tors that Miss Wills was about 10 weaken. just at the end of the set os she has twice berore in matches with the same opponent She stoWeu her attack an instant and heid her hand to her side as if suffering twrinee of pain But the symptom vanished in a flash, and she proved herself mistress of the scene With an unmanagable slash for set polhI' Three of these games she won at love. She took 12 straight points in one irresistible attack and 4e ol the last IT.
 Helen, the Serene.
 Playing tranquilly as though in her own back yard, Miss Wills swung throuph the first three games of inc second set, sandwiching a tricky short game from the net in between rel9ntless bullet shots from the base line. Neither player seemed per ptexed by her opponents service;
 In the fourth game Mrs Mallory EattIed rrimly through deuce until she won her lone game or the e, ii1I set 5-3 Then the serene Miss Wllls' playing as though her racque tt . part of her arm, entered into the hack stretch Mathematically' stroke followed angular stroke, like a Be- ometry problem, proplns H9 o3l lously first for the Mallory pack hand then far to the panting cham P- Tn defeat, Mrs. Mallory was su- nerb. Long the victim of the myth that she is hard loser, sne pre- scented her critics noteWorthy uIS- 2 niav of gameness and grit, losing Tn a manner uneNceptionable, even py masculine standard. Realizing now near she was to the end or her lols tenure on top in womens g tennls' sne' nevertheless, battled With eNely p,, i,, of vigor for the last two games' Tn the face of a crowd that was over I,helmingly and too obviously for the tfsine player. If the defeat hurt she hid it. as she sent the penulu, , mate game to 7-5, and the tlnal frame to 4-2, before sNccumolng 10 low ricochet in the extreme right hand corner that crowned a new ten- his queen.
 NIoIla Congratulates Helen-
 Immediately she was at the net, shaking her conqueror's hand ana giving her a quick hug of congratu- 1atfon. They walked together over to the iudge's stand, where Mrs, Nal lorv sucked at an orange and looked on while big Eddie Conlon, the um- nire stole a success from Helen in tbe excitement and Julian Myrlck handed her the big cup, which she took much as though 1t were pitcher of lemonade.
 Both Miss Wills and Mrs. Mallory took the outcome with the cool nonchalance of men. After posing amiably and at length for circle of cameras, they walked to the club house. Mrs Mallory smiling and talking animatedly to friends.
 A few minutes later they reap peared to watch the doubles finals. Mrs. Mallory sat on the steps, puff ing at a cigaret. beside her mother.
 Comparatively the play in the dou- bles finals between the British team and Mrs. Helen Hotchkiss Wightman and Eleanor Goss, the Americans, was ordinary. The Englishwomen won because they rose several notches above their pitch of a week ago. The yankee ladies lost because of re- peated lapses from their accustomed speed Occasionally Mrs. Wighl vna,lts srave el1ts and delicate nuances