Evening star., 1938-06-10
PLACEMENTS GET
TITLE FOR JUNIOR
Boys Champion Relies on
Opponents Errors for
Star Meet Victory.
BY BILL DISMER, ],


Thirteen-year-old Bobby Bensinger
and 17-year-old David johnson today
hold the boy and junior tennis cham
pionships Of the District, but they won
The Evening Star cups emblematic of
those titles yesterday through the use
of as contrasting methods as it is pos
sible for tennis to provide.
Equipped with games which would
do credit to racketers far beyond their
years, both Bensinger and johnson
had far too much on the ball for
their contemporaries, Eddie Richard.
son and Miguel Nunez, who were on
Edgemoors courts only the minimum
number of sets required to settle
championships Of their classes.
But whereas johnson earned his
victorv by an incredible number Of
placeiAonJo which kept Nunez chas-
ing all over the court, Bensinger was
content to keep the ball in play until
his opponent erred. Both systems
were effective.
johnson Seeks Second Title.
After see-saw first set, during
which Richardson had set point twice
in the l4th game, Bensipger prevailed
by scores of 10-8, 60. The second
undoubtedly was letdown for Rich
ardson, who could not average two
points a game in the set which de-
prived him of the title.
Nunez gave johnson a battle during
the first eight games of both the first
and second sets, only to fold up in
the third and bow, Ga, Ga, 6-1.
Nunez's leads were few and short-lived,
the native Cuban holding the ad-
vantage at 10 and 4-3 in the first
set and 4-3 in the second. johnson
took the last three games of the first
two sets and dropped only the second
game of the third.
johnson, incidentally, emerges as
the only contestant in the junior boy
tournaments with chance to earn
two championships. With Dewitt
Smith, jr, the new singles titlist today
awaited the playing of quarter and
semi-f1nal matches which will de-
termine their opponents in the final
doubles match. That setto will be
played tomorrow morning.
Neither Lost Set.
Three teams are possible con-
tenders with the johnson Smith COM
bination for the title. At 4 o'clock
today, Nunez and Tom Walden were
to play Harry B-inkerhoff, jr., and
Leonard Sokol, with the winners meet
ing Ham Bonham and Ken Dalbv i'm
medlately thereafter The survivors
OF those two matches will play john
sen and Smith tomorrow morning in
stead of in the afternoon, because
Johnsen must leave at noon for
tournament in New Jersey.
Rarely-and certainly not since
The Star started to sponsor the City
OF Washington tournament three years
ago-have such worthy champions
held the Junior and boy singles title
as johnson and Bensinger. Each went
through the entire tournament without
the loss Of a set and yesterday marked
the first time that either had been
pressed.
The draw sheet reveals that Ben
singer lost only II games in eight
sets, and eight of them came in that
first set Of the final match. Johnsen's
record was even better, the opposition
being able to nick him for only is
games in II sets.
He Always Got EN- Back.
Bensinger undeniably was the find"
not only of the boy tournament. but
OF all four tournaments-men. women
junior and boy-sponsored by The
Star. Beginning play as an absolutely
unknown quantity, this slightly red
headed youngster illustrated what
tireless retrieving can do. For that
type OF game primarily was re-
sponsible for his victories in every
match. Yesterday, no matter how
hard Richardson's shot or how far
away he could drive them, Bensinger
somehow managed to get his racket
on the ball. Half the time his returns
oordered on the miraculous, yet he
nearly always came up with a racket
10 send the ball back across the net.
Only II of Bensinger's SO winning
points were the result of placements,
the other 66 being won on Richard
sons errors. How this contrasted
with Johnsen's game in the junior
match is shown in an analysis which
reveals that johnson almost made
more placements in each set than
bensinger got all day. Johnsen's
placement total was Sc for the three
sets-l5 In the first, 20 in the second
and IL in the tbird
The above is not to intimate that
Nunez and Richardson failed to put
up stiff fights. They not only did
but Nunezs showing against one nor
mally figuring to outclass him was
one which cheered his followers
Western Highs No. player was get
ting them back with admirable con-
sistency in the first two sets and he
broke Johnsen's service as many times
as his own was broken in the first
seven games. In the final ANALYSIS
however, Nunez's stamina was not suf-
ncient to allow him to keep running
after Johnsen's drives-hit where he
wasn't-for long.