Evening star., 1942-05-31
Mary Hardc, Dorothy Lie Sab Riggs Give Rare Tennis Treat
Net Stars 10 Battle
In B.-A. Ambulance
Corps Benefit
Troupe to Garry Great
Records to Edgemoor
Courts Saturday

Washington tennis fans will have
one of their rare opportunities to
see top-flight stars in action Satur-
day when a troupe comprising
Wayne Sabin, Bobby Riggs. Mary
Ruth Hardwick and Mrs. Dorothy
Round Little stops off at Edge
moor Tennis Club on their round
Of benefit matches for the British
American Ambulance Corps.
Singles and mixed doubles are on
the program which will start at 3
o'clock. The match should find all
four contestants at their best as the
tour was launched in midMay and
they have had ample time to polish
their games.
In Riggs, twice national champion
and winner of the last Wimbledon
Jamboree, the customers will see
not only one of the games leading
strategists, but also one of its most
colorful performers. He quit anna
teur ranks last year to join up with
Don Bulge, Fred Perry and Frank
Kovacs and now is devoting his
energy to the war effort.
Riggs has been called tennis
psychologist because of his knack
of out-nerving his opponent, getting
his goat" with calm, methodical
shots and forcing him into errors Of
commission. He exerts himself as
little as possible and appears to
loaf through set after set. But
when the final figures are posted
Riggs usually is the winner.
Sabin Is Aggressive Player.
Sabin, a native of Des Moines,
Iowa, is, like Riggs, not a heavy
weight, but packs lot of power
in his shots. His service, smash and
drive are all of the attacking type
for Sabin prefers to leave the de-
fenSive game to someone else.
Ranked sixth last year. his primary
difficulty seems to be a lack of
patience. His temperament is not
at all suited to poor or mediocre
play. Sabin isn't satisfied unless
he's hitting on all cylinders, winning
and showing his best form.
Mrs. Little and Miss Hardwick
rank at the top of British net
women, with the latter standing
out as the No. player. Unbeaten
by British player in tournament
competition since 1887, Miss Hard
wick holds honors in the doubles
and mixed doubles of the Scandi-
navian championships, Scottish and
South of France titles and has been
consistently good Wightman Cup
player.
She turned professional last year
to go on tour with Alice Marble,
United States singles champion, and
Bill Tflden, to provide mobile can
teens for sorely pressed citizens of
her home town in England.
Mrs. Little, raised only a stones
throw from Wimbledon's famed
courts, former Methodist Sunday
School teacher, mother of 3h-
year old son. has been teaching the
game to pupils of Lake Erie COL
lege in recent months.
Mrs. Little Wimbledon Star.
She first gained prominence at
Wimbledon in 1888 when she con-
quered Helen Hull Jacobs and then
stirred usually Unconditional England
to great depths by capturing a set
from Helen Wills Moody in the
championship. The following year
she smashed through to her first
world title, repeating her victory
over Miss Jacobs.
In 1885 she won the mixed doubles
crown with Fred Perry, repeating the
next two years, and in '37 she re-
gained her lost singles laurels with
brilliant victories over Miss Jacobs,
Senorita Anitz Lizana of Chile and
Jadwiga Jedrzejowska, the sensa-
tional Polish star. Mrs. Little vir-
tually dropped out of tournament
play following her marriage in 1887
to DR.. Douglas Little, but when her
husband was called to the colors she
decided to resume her court career.
A capacity crowd of nearly 1000
fans is expected to witness the ex-
hibition. Tickets have been priced
from S1.49 to $40 with Is boxes al
ready sold at a higher fee. Many
prominent members of the diplo-
matte corps will attend.
Taxicab service from the District
line at Wisconsin avenue and Chevy
Chase Circle to the club will aug
ment the regular bus service.
The Washington committee spon-
soring the event hopes to raise suf-
ficient funds to add another ambu-
lance for service in this city.
The corps already has loaned two
ambulances to the A. w. v. S. here
and Washingtonians have accounted
for several of the more than 700 the
B. A. A. C. has sent overseas for
service in Britain, Libya. Syria,
China, Australia, New Zealand and