Evening star., 1938-07-01
SECOND TRIUMPH
SOUGHT BY JAKE
Game Loser Is Particularly
Eager to Avenge Defeat
in Tense '35 Duel.
BY GAYLE TALBOT,
ted Press Sports Writer.


NEW YORK, July Helen Wills
Moody, 80, and Helen Jacobs, 20, meet
again tomorrow on the center court
ut Wimbledon, to write another chap
ter in the longest and bitterest rivalry
In the history of women,s sport
Ten years ago, in 1928 Helen Wills,
then still known as Little Poker
face" inflicted her first important de-
feat upon the younger girl who had
followed her out of Berkeley, Calf.
That was in the national champion
ships at Forest Hills.
They have been at it, of and on,
ever since. Helen the first, carrying
, on her tennis career through mar
riage and divorce. has done most of
; married, has been forced through most
, of decade to play the part of a game
loser.
Three times Helen Wills has defeated
Helen Jacobs in the final at Wimble-
don-in 1929. 1882 and 1895. Helen
Jacobs only victory, at Forest Hills in
, 1888, was not complete one, her
famous rival defaulting when the
score was 80 against her in the third
and deciding set. The back injury
that forced the older Helen off the
court that day kept her out of COM
petitive tennis for 18 months.
Never Any Violent Enmity.
There never has been a violent en-
nifty between the two girls, nor have
they ever been real friends. OF the
playing court they simply have gone
their respective ways, with nothing in
common.
Helen Jacobs always has been what
Is known as a good fellow" She ever
is accessible and friendly Helen Wills,
the tennis machine, is very patrician
, and polite. They are two vastly diff
ferent personalities.
!. The qualities they have in common
ARE obvious. Each is dead game,
.superb competitor. and at 20 and over
/. they still are the two best woman
tennis players in the world when the
chips are in the middle.
: Their last previous meeting in the
famous center court, in 1885. was one
Of the most thrilling ever played be-
tween women. Few of us among the
1900 who sat in on the tense duel
will forget it.
Feeling over the match was intenSi-
fed by the fact that Mrs. Moody had
walked out" on Miss Jacobs in their
match at Forest Hills two summers
before. Jacobs partisans felt she
should have played out the final three
games and taken her licking" no
matter how much her back hurt.
"Jake" Tghtens. Loses.
Mrs. Moody, who had come back to
give her old rival another cha ice,
played beautifully to run of the first
set, 6-3. Miss Jacobs came back to
win the second. 63.
Then was the real drama. After the
count went to 2-all in the crucial set,
Helen Jacobs suddenly pulled her game
to its brilliant peak to break Queen
Helen's" service twice and take So
lead. It looked as If it was all over.
Mrs. Moody pulled up to 3-5, but in
the next game Jake" reached match
point at 1910.
Here was the moment she had
awaited almost 10 years. She slammed
4one to Mrs. Moody's deep backhand
and charged to the net for the kill. It
came back, q weak lob that your
grandmother could have killed nine
times out of ten. But Helen Jacobs,
too tense. too excited. swung too
quickly and knocked 1t into the net.
Later, she said forlornly: There 1t
was and couldn't hit it."
Crushed, she watched Mrs. Moody
run out the set and the match. IS.
One reprieve was all Helen Moody
. needed.