Evening star., 1951-12-12
Americans Face
Davis Cup Test
|WithConfidence
Believe Best Lineup
Picked to Oppose
Swedes Tomorrow
BY the Associated Press


MELBOURNE, Australia, Dec.
12.-Despite the criticism, both
Frank Shields, the team captain,
and Jack Kramer. the coach, are
confident and enthusiastic about
the United States team lineup
Shields has picked to face Sweden
in the Davis Cup interzone tennis
finals starting tomorrow.
Ted Schroeder and Tony Trabert
will play in the singles matches
tomorrow. and both looked good
in practice yesterday. Schroeder
and Trabert split two sets of
doubles against Vic Seixas and
Kramer, winning the first one g.
II and dropping the second. 6-8.
In. the afternoon Trabert worked
a brisk set and a half against
Seixas and Schroeder did the
same with Kramer.
Although the doubles lineup
won't be announced until "a hours
before Fridays doubles match,
Shields indicates he is becoming
more confident daily that he has
potentially a great doubles team
in Schroeder and Trabert, one
fully capable of beating the
Swedish pair. Lennart Bergelin
and Sven Davidson Friday, and
Frank Sedgman and Ken Nc
Gregor of Australia in the chal-
lenge round.
Swedish Practice Informal.
The Swedish players have been
|practicing much more informally
between sessions of their favorite
card game. They appear not to
have a worry in the world al
though their captain. Gunnar
Calm, has made plane reserva-
tions back to Sweden Sunday,
Just in case.
The tennis-loving Australians
have bought out Kooyong Stadium
to the limit of its $500 capacity,
though few expect to see a close
contest. Trahert, who needs to re-
gain some confidence after beat
ings by Seixas at Sydney and
Sedgman here, is expected to trim
Davidson without too much
trouble in tomorrow's opener.
ISchroeder's duel with Bergelin
could provide some excitement as
the two veterans of international
Iplay never have met before.
Shields asked today that one
point be made absolutely clear
he was the man who picked
Schroeder and Trabert to play
the singles.
The leader of the American
team was unhappy at the mere
suggestion he might have been
influenced from home. His sleep,
he said, has been badly broken by
phone calls asking if it was true
the American selection commit
tee has asked him to play Schroe-
der.
Wants Complete Charge.
"If anybody had made such q
suggestion to me they would have
had to look for another captain"
Shields declared seriously. II
took on this job with the very
clear understanding that I would
have complete charge of the team
in every respect. I would not
have accepted such a headache
under any other condition. I am
out here with only one thought
to take the Davis Cup home-and
all decisions make will have
only that in mind
Members of his squad, Shields
insisted, fully understand why
he's using Schroeder and Trabert
in singles against the Swedes in
stead of Seixas and Dick Savitt,
whose records in the past year
appeared to entitle them to
Iplaces.
Look" Shields said. eff I was
just looking for an easy way out
lit would have been the simplest
thing in the world to name Dick
and Vic. Then, if we had lost to
Sweden, there could have been
no criticism of me.
Seixas in Temporary Slump.
"But don't think I'm out here
to be a figurehead When they
chose me to be captain they must
have thought I knew something
! about it. Right now; think I
know what I'm doing. If it turns
out I don't, then I can take it,
The facts seem to be that Seixas
feels he temporarily has lost his
best touch. Both he and Shields
are confident he will recover it
before the challenge round
against Australia two weeks away.
There's some doubt that Savitt
will play singles against the Aus
sizes unless his physical condition
improves through hard training.