The Washington times., 1929-08-15
NET STARS.
TONEET ON.
AUGUST g ].
BY Davis J. Walsh

NEW YORK, Aug. 15.--lt |
wouldn t be surprising if an
other duel of the decade, al !
most comparable to the Nal
'lory-Lenglen and Wills-Len-
glen extravaganzas, developed
from the expected meeting be-
tween Helen Wills and Betty
Nuthall in the semifinals of
the national championship on
August %.
The populace gives every indica-
ton of selling the Forest Hills
stadium right out that day, a thing
that never before has happened in
championship history except in the
final round, the advance sale being
far from light for all days and
downright heavy for that one. They
seem to have the idea that Miss
Wills is in for Kicking.
The experts are responsible for
this impression. They were pleased
to observe a deterioration in Miss
Wills game in the Wightman Cup
series, which may or may not be
81. anu lAtSy nave IllIlLCu u1I My tHSl
the end is near, which may or may
not be arrant nonsense. Miss Nut
hall, at IS, seems destined to ho.d
the championship some day but
know no particular reason why that
day should come next week.
Doubtless the idea is highly
uniInpOrtant but, somehow,
can't seem to forget that Miss
Nuthall has yet to win a set
from Miss Wills in three years
Of competition.
She almost won two sets In their
SIS. SIS match on Saturday, but
the disconcerting fact is that she
wound up the engagement by win
ming neither. In brief, Miss Wills
won the match and it mightn't be a
second class idea to pay off on that
until further evidence is furnished.
We have no reason to expect. for
instance, that Miss Wills will be
worse or Miss NuthalI will be
better the next time they meet.
However, the random speculation
of the moment has served to make a
notable event out of championship
that had been expected to prove an
empty exhibition. Speculation is the
sort of thing that contrives to make
something out of nothing, which
usually is the status of womens ten
mis-. It suffers in the main from a
one-woman complex. When the two
woman feature makes it's appear
ance, the sport enjoys one of it's
seances Of isolated hysteria, the box
offices are mobbed and the news
columns sgI7YffnS Than hoUincy had
its fling, women's tennis settles
down to uninspired tranquility
again.
May Sutton gave it it's first inn
petus back in the early days of the
century with her victories in Eng
land, notably that over Mrs. Lam
bert.C Chambers. Then nothing hap
pened for years because the then
Miss Sutton was supreme. Her place
finally was taken by Hazel Hotch-
kiss, after which first Mary Browne
and then Mrs. Mallory came along
to rule without contest. 1t was
only when the latter's supremacy
was questioned Immediately after
the war by Lenglen that they were
able to build up a match of inter-
national moment between the pair.
Lenglen'S reign was unques.
toned until Helen Wills de-
velOped her game to the full,
the result being their famous
match at Cannes three years
ago. And in the same way,
Miss NuthalI's sudden pOtenti-
atty has made the present situa-
ti0n possible.
It Is possible, of course, that they
may not meet at all but if SO, it
hardly will be He!en's fault. Shol-
bill go through to the senifinals
because she has nobody to beat
except Mrs. Mallory and the parade
passed Molla long ago. Miss Nut
hall, also in the upper half of the
draw, figures to get most of her
action from Mrs. Peggy Michel,
another Englishwoman, and it might
be more than Betty cares to take
on. / believe Mrs. Michel beat
her in straight sets at Wimbledon.
but this couldn't have been the
Miss Nuthall who went crazy here
last Saturday any more than it
could have been the Miss Nuthall