Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-11
.HA[TS BIG THRUST
OF BETTY NUTHALL
Queen of Courts Has Battle
OF Career to Conquer
Young Briton.
nv ALAN ]. GOULD.
Associated Press Sports Editol

"OREST HILLS, N. Y, August 10.
- Helen Wills clinched the
Wightman Cup for America to-
l. day but it took one of the hard
est-won triumphs Of her career
to turn back the challenge Of her
youthful English rival, Betty Nuthall,
and regain the emblem Of women's
tennis supremacy for this country
For nearly an hour, while gallery
Of more than 5000 spectators sat
thrilled in the big West Side Clubs
stadium. the queen of the worlds
courts was played to a Standstill by
the bounding, impetuous rush Of the
| 1S-year-old English girl. Expecting a
one-sided victory, the crowd was
startled instead by one of the most
dramatic battles of Miss Wills career
as we'll as one Of the biggest upsetS of
the tennis season.
IS Minutes Of Startling Action.
Queen Helen, won. finally by scores
/ OF 8-6, 8-6. applying the winning
| touch in identical fashion in each set,
but for SIS minutes OF slashing action
the American was given the sternest
bs tile she has had in three years.
| One deuce set has been a novelty for
Miss Wills as she has swept the courts
of both Europe and America the last
Ave seasons. Two. Of the same length,
proved to be nothing short Of sensa-
tional for onlookers accustomed to see
her NOW down all opposition. As a
matter Of fact the Californian was
closer to losing set than at any time
| since 1927 at Wimbledon. where she
dropped one to Gwynneth Sterry
| What was more unusual, she was face
to face, perhaps for the first time in
| her career. with girl willing as well
as capable OF matching her general
ship as well as tremendous driving
power from the base line.
Four Matches for U. s.
It was a stirring, fitting climax for
the two-day series, to be decided by
Miss Wills over the ace of the British
team. The final margin was four
matches for America to three for Eng
. land. 1t was gained altogether on the
superiority Of the home forces in singles.
They won four of the five individual
matches. while the British captured
both doubles contests.
Through the triumphs of Miss Wills
and Helen Jacobs in the singles yes
terday. the United States led. 2-1.
margin that was saved by an even break
I in the concluding four matches today.
Edith Cross. third of the California
stars on the American squad. scored
| the third singles victory over Mrs. Peggy
! Saunders Michel in a well played duel.
(
after Mrs. Phoebe Watson had evened
! the count for England by overcoming
Miss Jacobs in straight sets. 6-3. So.
| After Miss Wills decisive victory, the
English team Of Mrs. Phyllis Covell
and Mrs. Dorothy Shepherd-Barron
took the final double match from Mrs.
Hazel Hotchkiss wightman, donor Of
the cup, and Miss Jacobs, GO, 6-1.
Praises Helen's Delivery.
When Helen Wills broke through
Betty Nuthall's new overland service
in the first game Of their match. the
crowd sat back in anticipation Of an
other one-sided victory for the cham
pion, but it took only few minutes
rivals delivery. From then on it was
a ding-dong battle as each set went
to deuce, the winner in doubt right
up to the final strokes.
For game after game, Helen found
her most singing shots returned full
force. The champions service was no
more reliable than that of Betty. whose
first ball. when she was getting it in.
proved almost unreturnable If Miss
Wills kept the English girl on the run
at times. she also found herself doing
full share Of the chasing. as Betty
craftily mixed the length Of her strokes.
At times Queen Helen seemed in COM
plete command. angling her shots beau
tifully; at others she hit wildly or was
passed completely by the daringly sue
cessful shots that came off Betty's fore
hand or backhand. Seldom did either
come to the net and as the match was
prolonged. the remarkable ability Of
Betty to hold her own with the greatest
of woman baseline drivers astonished
the gallery.
Champion at Critical Sta ges.
Few players have tried. much less
succeeded in holding the champion
even at her own game. yet Betty did It
for IL games In each set. In fact, Miss
Nuthall held leads Of 5-4 and SIS in
each set-four times altogether within
single game Of winning-but in each
critical stage. where every point count
ed. the champion was still champion
the decisive breaks came in the thir-
Wills upsetting Miss NuthallS service
and then clinching the issue on her
The only stage Of the match where
either consistently maintained an ad-
vantage was in the closing three games
OF the first set and the first two Of the
second set. AS Miss Wills took these
five In row, it appeared Miss Nuthall
1t seemed, but recovered so rapidly that
she ran off the next three games In a
row to make 1t battle once more
Again. in the seventh game of the
final set. as Miss Wills broke through
service with the aid Of faulty line
decision. the end seemed near Betty's
reserve. however. was equal to breaking
through the champions service in the
eighth game. In the twelfth, as they
battled furiously. the English girl was
within points OF capturing the set.
Break for Helen.
She lee at SIS after deuce was called
on Miss Wills service, then missed by
inches on try for cross-court place
ment that would have given her ad-
vantage point. It was break" for
Helen. She seized 1t, to win the game
and then take the next two for the set
and match.
In her only appearance In the singles
Miss Cross. the third national ranking
player, won a hard-hitting encounter
from Mrs. Mitchell, to put the Amer
lean team In the lead, after Miss Jacobs
had fallen before the notwithstanding
Mrs. watson. Miss Cross capitalized Q,
service break in the sixth game and
two net-cord shots in the seventh game
to win the first set, dropped the second
after apparently having It well In hand
and then rallied to capture the deciding
set as she outdroVe and outgeneraled