Evening star., 1941-06-15
Torrid Crown Match
Looms as New Star
Battles Champion
Lynch, Murphy Defeated
In Mild SemifinuIs
On Edeemoor Courts
By BILL DISMER, Jr.

BY BILL DISMER, Jr.
It'll be Barney Welsh and Don
Ieavens in the final match of the
City of Washington tournament Tor
The Star Cup at 2:30 o'clock today
at Edgemoor Club, thus fulfilling
week long hopes of the Washing
ton tennis public for an official
meeting between the defending
champion and the newest sensation
in local net circles.
Final obstacles to the much-an-
ticipated duel were removed yester-
day when Dick Murphy and Hugh
Lynch fell semiflnal victims TO
Welsh and Leavens, respectively.
Earlier odds on the new chal-
lenger dropped sharply, however,
when he was unimpresslve against
Lynch in his last competition be-
fore the title round, despite
straight-set victory by scores OF
IS, 6-2.
Welsh, though forced to travel
three sets to dispose OF Murphy,
6-3, 6-8, 81, produced flashes
of his best form and gave the I'M
preston that he could have won IN
two sets had he not been inclined
to play recklessly during the Sec
ond
Lynch Picks Welsh to Win.
AS a result, betting may be all
even when the defending champion
and aspirant to the throne take the
court in their first money" meet
ing. Ieavens has licked Welsh twice
in exhibition matches at Edge
moor once in three straight sets,
hut many observers are of the opln-
ion that Barney will De d far dlt-
ferent opponent today.
Probably most outSpoken IN
prophesying a Welsh victory was
Lynch. shortly after Leavens hao
licked him in yesterdays flrst semi
final match.
my money'll be riding on Bar
nev." said Lynch while refreshing
himself in the club locker room.
"And if Welsh gets the Jump on
1,eavens, it'll be rout.'
IF one we're to base a comparl-
son on today's rivals merely by
Yesterdays matches one, lnoeeu'
would have to pick the champ to
win The Star tournament for the
fourth time in six years. In con-
trast to Leavens' comparatively soft
game against Lynch were Welsh
SIZZLING drives and blasting volleys,
which all but drove Murphy oil the
court
Champion Takes Time.
After taking the first set, Welsh
anneared to be playing for the prac-
tice as much as the entrance INTO
the final round, once losing IA sue
cessive points as he dropped three
love games in row. But it wasn't
Welsh playing for keeps at this
stage of the match; rather care
free champ getting in a good warm
up on the eve of the defense OF
his title. Murphy had three set
points in the second-one in the
ninth game, another in the tenth
and a third in the fourteenth-be-
fore Welsh finally returned one out
side to deadlock the match.
Murphy was no setup, but despite
his brilliance in the exchange OF
volleys and drop-shots, which
marked the duel, Welsh always was
a little more brilliant, a whole lot
faster and possessed of far greater
stamina. At the end Barney looked
as if he could play another match;
Murphy practically was all in.
Leavens Good at Baseline.
There was a reason for Murphy's
pronounced fatigue, for earlier in
the afternoon he had been forced
to meet Charley Charming in
uuarterfnal match which he won,
6-l, 6-2. AS in the following
match, each opponent was forced to
run continually for drop shots, but
here the advantage was all with the
more experienced Murphy. Fer al
though both were drawn to the net
in pursuit of the tantalizing little
drops, only the former used the
situation for its acknowledged pur-
pose-to send passing shots by the
opposition. Charming, on the other
hand, almost always sent his re-
turns straight back to Murphy at
the net, resulting in point winning
volleys by the latter.
Leavens had Lynch, Al, in their
first set, only to be caught at 4-all
as Hugh varied his game with long
and short shots, often leaving Leav-
ems fat-footed at the net. Leavens,
who says he'd rather trade baseline
swats than volley, didn't do much
of the latter until the second set,
but when he did he helped to hasten
the end. The Californian has most
of the shots in the game pretty
we'll under control, but whether he
can match Welsh in speed and
stamina is something that will be
decided today.
Leavens- johnson Team Victor.
The only doubles match played
resulted in a three-set victory for
Ieavens and David johnson over
Charming and Ricky Willis in a
semifinal encounter. Charming and
Willis took the first set, Ga, only
to be whipped in the second and
third 6-1, g..
The doubles championship will
not be decided until week from
today, however, as Welsh and Lynch
still have a quarterfinal match with
Bill Breeze and Ed Mather to play,
with the winning pair meeting Aus
tin Rice and Dave Hoppock in the
semifnal of the upper half of the
draw.