New Britain herald., 1927-08-11
biggest INVASION
| OF Tennis STARS
Foreign Teams Start Arriving
Here Tomorrow

New York. Aug II P-The great
est tide Of invading tennis skill that
has menaced America in more than
a decade starts rolling in tomorrow.
Its first evidence will be the at
tempt Of the British women's team.
led by Kitty Mckane Godfree, to
win back the Wightman cup in the
team matches with the home forces,
led by Helen Wills. at Forest Hills
tomorrow and Saturday. The sec
ond feminine challenge to the native
defense comes in the national wo-
mems championships, also at For
est Hills. the week Of Aug. %.
The crest of the tide will be
reached in September. when
Frances great team is expected to
make "a sensational bid to win the
coveted Davis cup from the Amer
lean veterans, Big Bill Tilden and
Little Bill' Johston. at Philadel-
phia. The climax will be the battle
for individual honors at Forest
Hills, with Tilden seeking to regain
the crown that Cochet knocked off
and LaCoste picked up in last years
American championships.
Slanting at prospects from this
point of view, the United States ap-
pears to have better chance of
successfully repelling the women's
invasion that it has the mems.
This is chiefly for the reason that
in Miss Wills, America has the star
generally recognized here and
abroad as the successor to the
worlds title that Suzanne Lenglen
held for so many years.
The 21-year-old California girl. in
her triumph at Wimbledon, has al
Of the players who will be her main
rivals in the Wightman cup as well
as the National championship
matches.
In addition to Mrs. Godfree, she
may have keen competition from
few of her countrymen, such as the
ruling champion. Molla Mallory, and
another Californian. Miss Helen
Jacobs, but critics are unanimous in
their expectation that Miss Wills
will regain the title she was forced
to default last year.
Tilden and Johnson have written
Americas most brilliant tennis his
tory. They are still formidable
pair. veterans though they may be-
but the conviction has grown that
they cannot much longer repel
Frances threat of greater youth as
well as perhaps equal skill.
Together Tilden and Johnston
won three out of four singles match
es in the Davis cup challenge round
Tense OF the famous trophy. They
may do so again this year. with Til
den aiming at a comeback and
Johnston conserving his stamina for
the big battle. but the odds will be
less pronounced in their favor.
Johnston has always been nem-
esis to the Frenchmen but Tilden
joust with them.
In a five-match series. such as
the Davis cup challenge round,
Americas veterans may uncork
enough stuff to again check the
French thrust but it will be more
difficult for either Tilden or John
ston to wade successfully through
the week of National championship
singles competition afterward. john
ston, with his limited store of SIAM
ina. finds it especially difficult to
maintain top form in succession
of keen matches.
Tilden. anxious to regain his
crown, will be the main American
hope in the Nationals but even
Big Bills" resources will be severly
taxed. On any one day he may be
capable of disposing of any one Of
Frances stars-Cochet, LaCoste or
Borotra-but it would take> the Til
den of his super-days, in all proba-
bility. to turn back their combined
attack.