Evening star., 1939-05-24
Pairings 10 Be Made
Tomorrow; Women
In Sharp DueIs
BeIin-EIIis, O'Steen-Lee
Semi-FinuIs Promise
Lively Action
BY BILL DISMER, Jr.

With the end of the first phase
of The Evening Stars City of Wash
ington tennis tournament only two
days away, junior and boy racketers
were rushing to beat tomorrow
noon deadline for their own tourney,
which starts Saturday at Columbia
Country Club.
Nearly as many juniors already
have signed up for The Star event
as competed last year. Those who
have not are urged to get their
dollar entry fee to Buddy Goeltz,
Columbia professional, within the
next "a hours. for the draw will
be made tomorrow afternoon and
flrst-round pairings may be pub
lshed in Fridays Star.
Women's Semi Finals Keen.
Meanwhile, followers of the wom-
ems title hunt, which is scheduled
to end Friday at the Army Navy
Club, were enviSioning two of the
hottest semi-final matches tomor-
row ever seen in a single afternoon
of women's play here. Suspending
play today so that all four of the
semi finalists-definitel the cream
of Washington's fair netdom-
might participate at Baltimore in
the tryouts for the Middle Atlantic
sections Sears Cup team. The Star
event will be resumed at 2 o'clock
with Mary Cootes Belin. now pro-
nounced favorite to repossess her
championship of two years ago,
meeting Anne Ellis, the third
seeded entrant
An hour later Willie O'Steen,
Washington public parks champion
and seeded second, will targle with
Margo Lee, still the choice of a
certain group of supporters whose
confidence in her has not waned.
Rarely have semi-flnal matches
brought together four such top
notch players, for without excep-
ton the quartet has swept through
all opposition without the loss of a
set. All but Miss Lee have been ex-
tended to deuce sets, but have yet to
lose.
Fought Hot Duel in 81.
The Behn-Ellis match may be a
replay of hot duel waged by these
two in The Star tournament out at
the Reservoir courts two years ago
when the then Miss Cootes rallied
to take 3-set battle. Those who
saw it remarked at the time that
the Ellis girl was conner and many
believe that she will succeed tomor-
row where she failed in 1887. But
Mrs. Belin has been swinging on the
ball hard and accurately as of yore
and her seeded position of two
notches above Miss Ellis should be
justified by the match.
Miss O'Steen and Miss Lee may
stage the closest match of the entire
tournament. Both have exhibited
excellent all-around games, with
Miss O'Steen's harder-driving tao
tics matched by Miss Lees ability
to run all day if necessary. But In
routing such a veteran as Dorette
Miller by 81. 81 scores as she
did yesterday, Miss O'Steen served
warning that she is on her game
for it's hard to remember when Mrs
Miller has taken such trouncing as
that. Miss Lee, however, has swept
through two opponents with the
loss of only five games. She con-
quered Johanna zetlemeier yester-
day by scores of 6-1, 60.
Both Mrs. Belin and Miss Ellis
were given harder quarter final
fights than either Miss OSteen or
Miss Lee, for the former was pressed
to 8-6 in the first set by Edith
McCulloch before she took a 81
decision. Miss Ellis twice was ex-
tended to deuce sets by Edna Vest
before winning, "a, rs.