The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1951-08-16

Hurtenstine Gets
His Berth In The
Finuls At Beech

fndlS AT Beach
AT $50 o'clock today on
County Beach, Peter Var
Ella - the man who came
back - meets Commander
Joe Watson in the second
ser1li-final of the Mems
Tennis Championship.
Yesterday defending
champion Ralph Harten-
slime overwhelmed Com
mander T. w. Cordry 60,
OIL, to gain Sundays Fin
ais.
This Varela-Watson 60
has all the markings of the
kind of contest fans walk
miles to see. Get there ear
~ if you don't want to stand
on your car top.)
Both men are complete
ly experienced and COM
pletely confident of victory.
The coffee shop dopsters
are at sea on the encounter.
Wagers on both sides are
running high, but are
springing mostly from the
heart rather than the head.
The truth is, it's a toss-up
as far as comparative scores
and observations of oppos-
ing weapons go.
The Commander has turned
back James Weathers 60, 81,
John Sellers 60. 6-l, Don Cruz
6-3, 6-3, and Kermit Roberts, 6-2,
so. Former champion Varela has
accounted for D. l.. Brinkley 6-3,
60, Chester Knowles 60, 8-6.
Roberts Smith 6-3, ST, 6-2, and
Commander ]. A. McAllister 6-l,
O.. OF the two, Varela has met
much tougher opposition en- route
TO the semi-final berth. Chester
Knowles is player of proven a.
bility, and Smith and McAllister
are two of the foremost players
on the Island. Last year Smith
gained the semi finals himself and
had a 6-5 lead on HartenStine
before bowling.
Watson's two major oppon-
snts - Junior ace Don Cruz
and ls-Year upsetter Ker-
nit Roberts are not nearly
Ms established in Island tennis
as Smith and McAllister. Peter
defested Cruz So. Ga in late
March at the Casa Marina when
the younuster was playing two
real matches q week and had
Just returned from wins in the
South Florida High School
Championships. Too. the slower
Hsr-Tru surface at the Casa
favored Don's style of not fore
inq off his ground strokes.
Ii is definite that Varela has re-
ceiyed more of the kind of real
competition in his earlier rounds
that brings out ones best game.
The Commander, however, plays
effortiessly. using strokes of clas-
sic purity. His backhand is more
fluent than Peters, but his fore
hand, though formed as well as
Varela's, does not contain as much
Of the old knockout medicine.
First services are about equal,
with Watson having a slight edge
in pace on the second ball. Both
PLAYERS have been volleying ably.
with Varela attacking the barrier
more often. Navy observers say
the Commander feels he can win,
while Key Westers are well aware
that Peter is going all out after a
spot in Sundays Finals.
The Cordry -Hartenstine semi
final yesterday is the story OF
what top-flight spin on service
can do 10 an able player who has
not recently encountered IL The
champion caromed his twists and
slices, which bounce in opposite
directions, off the concrete with
such continuous savagry that the
Commanders ground strokes ---
the epitarne of steadiness through
out the tournament -- were I'M
hinged. Fans said that Raiphs de-
livery was piledriving into the OPP
posing court with such force thai
the bali catapaulted out OF the
line of sight many times before
the eve could flick 10 keep IT IN
focus. Cordry had the strokes -
except for too soft second serve
- to make an issue Of IT, but the
SPINS served dis a paralyzing ag-
ent. Down 0-5 in the second set
he set Hartenstine back on has
heels by cracking his second serve
with full strength to seize has on
~ game.