Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-09-06
|Harfwig and Seixas
Oppose Today for
u. 5. Singles Crown
BY cospor Names
Stor Sfuff correspondanf

O.-6 SC11SdblU1ldl young AUS
tralian and a veteran American
star will battle it out for the
United States singles tennis title
today on the lawn courts of the
West Side Tennis Club.
Rex Hartwig. IS, who was con-
sidered the third string Aus
tralian entry. and Vic Seixas. 81,
runner-up for the American
crown year ago. won their
matches yesterday in exciting
fashion. Hartwig beat his team
mate. Ken RoseWall. in straight
sets, Ga, 6-3, Ga, and SeixaS
defeated Hamilton Richardson,
Tulane University star, in a
thrilling four-set battle. 63,
12-14, 8-6. 6-2.
In the women's finals, two for
mer Wimbledon titleholders,
Louise Brough and Doris Hart,
will meet. Both won seminal
encounters easily yesterday as
Miss Brough defeated Darlene r.
Hard of Monticello, Calf, 60,
6-3. and Miss Hart trounced
Shirley Fry of Akron, Ohio,
60, 60.
Hitting With Speed.
Despite Hartwig's convincing
victory over Tony Trabert on
Saturday, few in the gallery ex-
pected HIM to beat Rosewall yes
terday. But Hartwig, who with
Mervyn Rose won the Wimble-
don doubles crown this year and
the American tandem \title in
1853, was on the top of his game.
He was hitting with devastating
speed off his service, backhand
and forehand and at the net.
The secret of his decisive win
over the phlegmatic and sound
stroking Rosewall was Hartwig's
unrelenting aggressive tactics.
Throwing caution to the wind,
he kept hurrying the smooth hit
ting Rosewall so much that his
impeccable ground strokes broke
down and resulted in numerous
errors.
. All the drama Of the match
was packed into the last game.
It seemed incredible that Hart
wig could keep on scoring out
right winners. When Ken pulled
out three match points against
him on Hartwig's errors, it
seemed that the latter was losing
his touch. But Rex refused to
play safe Hitting his serve with
tremendous power. he followed it
to the net and forced Rosewall
into the final two errors.
The key game of the Seixas-
Richardson encounter was the
eighth game of the third set.
Until that point the men had
waged a bitter battle of serv-
ices, net attack and sharp vol
leying. Seixas had taken the
first set by holding his delivery
after winning Richardson's first
service.
Both Hang On GrimIy.
In the second chapter both
men hung grimly into their serv-
ices, both being acutely aware
that a break-through meant the
loss of the set. Richardson sew
eral times had chances to take
his opponents delivery, but his
errors or volleys by Seixas kept
him from the vital win, The
Baton Rouge player was not to
be denied and took the 26th
game for the 14-12 win when
he passed the Philadelphia for
one point and forced him into
volley errors on the other three
points.
In the crucial third set, Rich
ardson broke through Vic on
two passing shots. a volley error
by the server and then a net
cord shot on game point.
The stage seemed set for an
other upset by Richardson when
he got to 5-3 with his delivery
to come. He was playing with
great confidence and his strong
groundstrokes were keeping the
active Seixas on the defensive.
Then things began to happen.
Ham made backhand overhead
error and followed that by a
double fault. Seixas, sensing a
sudden weakness, ddenly
shifted from a low return of
service to Richardson's feet as
he rushed in to a lobbing at
tack. He caught Richardson of
balance with one lob, bringing
an overhead error, and then
short stopped the onrushing
Tulane University star with a
lob to the backhand corner.
Richardson returned the lob but
Seixas put the ball away for the
winning volley.
Seixas Takes Command.
The spirit went out of Rich
ardson's game and though he
fought back, breaking Seixas'
delivery in the 18th game to
even the score at 6-all, he
dropped the next two. It was
Seixas all the way in the fourth
set, the Philadelphia breaking
service twice to take it at 60.
Miss Hart and Miss Brough
were entirely too strong for their
opponents. The former ran 10
straight games against Miss Fry,
going from 2-all in the first
chapter to win with ease. While
Miss Brough did not have such a
run of games against Miss Hard,
she won without being extended.
The senior mems singles cham
pionship was taken by David
Freed of Salt Lake City, Utah,
who took an unexpected victory
over William A.. Maxwell of
Bakersfield, Calf, last years