The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-08-27
TENNIS LASSIE
Is UNBEATABLE
IN FINAL SETS
Bobby Jones Can Be Defeated
and Babe Ruth Whitfield,
But Helen Wins
TO RULE 10 YEARS
Only Way For Miss Wills to
Prove Herself Is to Break
Suzanne's Record
BY HENRY L. FARRELL
(NEA Service Sports Writer

(NEA Service sports Wrlter)
The greatest competitive athlete
in the world, an undisputed worlds
champion wherever the game is
played, the girl with the thousand
per cent average-Helen Wills.
Extravagant, perhaps, this cita-
ton Of the young California lady
but her record warrants superlatives.
She is the superlative star Of the
most universally played game in the
world.
Bobby Jones can be defeated, Babe
Ruth can strike out with the bases
filled and Notre Dame can be beaten
by q bush college and theis. ris-
fortune is dismissed with the
thought that such is the law Of aver
ages.
But when Helen Wills is defeated
it will be the greatest upset that can
happen on any field Of sport. At the
age Of twenty-five she is so CON-
pletely the mistress Of her athletic
art that she has no competition. And
when there is q picture of Mrs. May
Sutton Bundy, past the age Of forty,
playing 4 very fine game in major
tournament competition, there are
reasons to speculate that the charm
ing California miss will rule for at
least ten more years.
She has the game, the physical
attributes and the love " tie game
to qualify her to reign as the queen
Of the courts at least until she
reaches the middle thirties. when an
athlete generally begins to fade. But
the lady athletes in tennis last long
er than the men.
Miss Wills has been playing cham
pionship tennis for eight years and
yet she has steadily improved her
game. Rene Lacoste, observing her
as she was winning the recent
French and British championships,
said that she had vastly improved
her game since last year.
There doesn't seem to 81 much
about her game that can be i'm.
proved" he said. but she keeps
impressing you that she is so much
better" Miss Mary <. Browne, one
Of the best authorities in the world
says Helen is obviously better
every time I see her."
! This recognized Improvement that
she works in her game is lealing
more and more Of TIE CRITICS to BE-
lieve that the power Of the Wills
game in its present. iorm would over.
come the skill of the Lenglcn game
in its best day, bat that is y sub.
ject Of fruitless controversy.
! The only way for Miss Wills tt
prove herself is Is make Il better
record over q numbe: of years thar
the French star did and to make il
against harder competition and j,
may not be in error to say that thu
American girl has already proved
herself against harder competition.
Winnie Richards said recently that
Helen would be able to beat any mar
in the country under the first twenty
and a few days later she went out
on the courts and won q straight sci
match from Fritz Mercur, fifteenth
ranking player, who had Just beaten
Bill Tilden and George Lott.
The spectators thought that Mer.
cur was chivalrous and did not lei
himself out, but some critics fell
just as sure that Helen was playing
under wraps.
Mrs. Molla Mallory holds thu
American record by having won the
national championship eight times
four of the titles having been won in
succession. Miss Wills already has
won the championship five times and
she certainly would have tied Mrs
Mallory's record for continuous
championships and bettered it if she
had not been forced out Of the tour.
nament in 1926 by an appendicec-
tony in Paris. She was unable Ia
defend her title that year.
Miss Wills was the national cir
champion in 1921 and 1922 and sh<
was the runner-up to Mrs. Mallory
in the nationals in 1922. She won
the national championship in 1928
1924, 1925, 1927 and 1928. She was
the runner-up to Kitty McKane in
the British championship at Vim
bledon in 1924 apd won the cham