Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-05
0uiek-Drying Courts
Keep Stars Event
Up 10 Schedule
PenuItimute Session
In Doubles Slated
For Tomorrow
BY BILL DISMER, Jr.

The amazing thing about The
Stars Women's tennis tournament
(and it couldn't have happened
anywhere except at Army Navy
Country Club is that matches are
being run off per schedule despite
daily rains since competition began
last Monday.
Due to Army Nays har-tru sur
faces, 1t is possible to use the courts
approximately 20 minutes after rain
stops-a condition of which the gen.
eral public is unaware.
On any other type of court sur
face except concrete, an hours
steady rain makes the court I'M
disable for at least "a hours. And if
the current women's tournament
had been scheduled for any other
place, it is doubtful if the first round
would be completed yet, due to this
weeks rains.
You'd think that all new courts
would be built of the har-tru COM
position. They cost just about twice
as much. but they'd be disable almost
twice as often. Especially would you
think that public courts would be of
har-tru to avoid loss of revenue be-
cause Of a few hours of rain a day
Yet we understand that the newest
public courts in town will be of the
outmoded clay surface.
Figure on Playing Today.
Despite this mornings rains.
therefore, officials confidently
planned staging both semifinal sin
giles matches today as scheduled
with Mary Belin'S duel with Margo
Lee one of the most eagerly awaited
Women'S matches here in a long
time. Miss Lee never has beaten
Mrs. Belin in tournament play, but
q lot of observers concede her an
excellent chance to do it today. Miss
Lee. they pointed out. has been
playing lot more tennis than Mrs.
Belin and they're not at all sure of
the latter's stamina, although it
must be remembered that she out
lasted Sara Moore in a tough three
setter on Tuesday.
Today's other semifnal. pitting
seCond-Seeded Willie Herbert against
I curt h-rated Charlotte Decker.
found the former a slight favorite.
Mrs. Herbert, employed by the Gov
eminent, and Miss Decker, a school
teacher, play a sterling game con-
sidering the comparatively little
time they have to give it.
Miss Decker Is Steady.
Miss Deckers continued steadi-
ness and constant retrieving was
responsible for her Ga, 60 vic
tory over Peggy Smith yesterday.
although neither girl played what
could be termed exceptional tennis.
But Miss Decker was all over the
court returning Mrs. Smiths strokes
and when an error finally ended in
a point. it usually was OH the losers
part. Mrs. Smith lost her service
on the first game Of the opening set,
but from then on games went with
service until Peggy double-faulted
at 30-40 to lose her service again
in the ninth game. After tying the
score at Fall in the second, Mrs.
Smith never had a chance.
Tomorrow's seminal double
matches call for top-seeded Mrs.
Belin and Frances Rowan to play
Sara Moore and Eleanor Fishburne
and second-seeded Mrs. Herbert and
Miss Decker to meet Frances Stur-
tevant and Jane Wilmerding All
OF those teams had comparatively
easy times yesterday. winning their
quarter final matches in straight
sets. Mrs, Belin and Mrs. Rowan
defeated Margaret Graham and
Sarita Peet, 6-l. 60. and Mrs.
Fishburne and Miss Moore topped
RoSelyn Pope and Constance Smith
by the same scores. While Mrs. Her
bert and Miss Decker and Mrs.
Sturtevant and Mrs. Wilmerding
defeated Elinor Finckel and Edna
Vest and Dorette Miller and Eleanor
Voith by identical margins of GO,
6-3.