Evening star., 1954-12-17
Seixas, Traberf
CIinch Victory
Over Sweden
ToIbert ExuItunt
Over Struieht-Set
Triumph in Doubles
BY the Assoeieted Press

on. Australia, we're ready" Bill
Talbert, non-playing captain of
the United States Davis Cup
team, exulted today after Vic
Seixas and Tony Trabert had
clinched the interzone finals by
beating Sweden in the doubles.
Seixas and Trabert sent the
United States into the challenge
round again with a smooth 6-3,
Ga, 6-3 doubles victory over
Sweden's Lennart Bergelin and
Sven Davidson.
They were wonderful" Talbert
yelled. II don't know when Tony
and Vic have played better dou-
bles. It should be a warning to
Australia we are ready for the
challenge round"
The triumph made the Amer
leans margin 80 in the best-of-
five event and makes tomorrow's
two final singles matches mere
formalities. In fact, Talbert
said he would rest Seixas and
send Hamilton Richardson into
the fray against Davidson. Ira
bert will play Bergelin.
Impressive Against Swedes.
Until someone comes along to
prove otherwise, Seixas and Ira
bert must be regarded as the
best doubles team in amateur
tennis. They certainly looked
the part in whipping Bergelin
and Davidson, a pair of Swedes
who had been at the top Of their
games.
Some experts Down Under pre-
dicted that Sweden. in fact,
might gain the challenge round.
But Talbert had predicted his
boys would win the interzone
finals by SO. Now he appears
to be right.
There was some doubt about
Trabert before the event got un-
der way. But from the impress
sion Tony gave in both his singles
victory and today's doubles, he
could have been playing possum.
He was tremendous. So was
Seixas. and between them they
gave the befuddled SWedes little
to hit.
Bergelin was quite effective,
but Davidson, for the second
time in as many days. refused
to take the initiative. Had he
followed Bergelin's lead, the
Swedes might have gained a few
more points. But Seixas and
Trabert concentrated their at
tack on Sven and there wasn't
much he could do about it.
Americans Come Back.
In the final analysis. it was
the Americans ability to come
back when they were behind
that won for them. In the
seventh game of the first set,
for example, Seixas was behind
0-40 on his service.
At this juncture the decision
still was in doubt and a service
break would have given the
Swedes definite psychological
lift. AS 1t happened, Vic and
Tony fought back to deuce, then
won it and just about broke the
Swedes' hearts.
The crowd of 1000 that jam
med the Milton courts realized
then they were gonig to see
nothing more than an exhibition
of the masters teaching the
pupils. And that's how it turned
out.
Minutes after Seixas had hit
the match-clinching volley, a
violent thunderstorm broke over
the courts. The rain and winds
of gale force Cancelled sched-
uled doubles exhibition between
two American juniors, Mike
Green of Miami and Gerry Moss
of San Francisco, against NAL
colin Anderson and Roy Emer-
son, Aussie teen-agers.
Point for Sydney Now.
So now it's back to Sydney
and the challenge round, be-
ginning December 81. This will
be the fifth straight year the
United States has challenged
Australia for the priced trophy,
symbolic of world tennis suprem-
acy. The Aussies took it in
1850. breaking a seven-year
United States monopoly. In
fact, the last time the Americans
missed the challenge round was
almost two decades ago-l936-
when Great Britain beat the
AuSsies.
Harry Hopman, Aussie captain,
(See DAVIS CUP, Page C-30