Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-27
Faint U.s.. Davis Cup Hopes
| Hinge on Doubles Today
Aussie Triumph
Puts Americans
In Tough Spot


81 (R1.-To say that the position
Of the United States defending
Davis Cup team is difficult would
be putting 1t mildly.
Tony Trabert and Vic Seixas
try to keep their faint hopes
alive on the polished turf of
the West Side Tennis Club to-
day when they engage Lewis
Hoad and Rex Hartwig In the
doubles match of the best-of-
i've event at 2::30 pm. wash
ington time).
Even If Trabert and Seixas
win the doubles. they'll still have
to win the final two singles to-
morrow. Tony is paired with
Ken Rosewall and Seixas meets
Hoad.
Statistics Discouraging
Furthermore, the statistics are
discouraging for the Yanks. Only
once in Davis Cup history has
team gone down to defeat in
the opening singles and man
aged to win the cup. That was
in 1889. when Australia's Adrian
Quist and Jack Bromwich
dropped the first two matches
to Americas Bobby Riggs and
Frank Parker, but came back to
win the next three.
Both Trabert and Seixas were
unimpresSive in defeat yester-
day. The near-capacity throng
Of 1880 half expected Rosewall
to whip Seixas. That he did,
6-3, 10-8, As, 60. It was
Rosewall's 10th victory in IL
meetings with the 32-year-old
Seixas.
But there probably wasn't a
soul sitting in the sun-baked
stands who thought Hoad. a
big. blond youngster who blows
hot and cold, could humble
Trabert, the king Of the worlds
amateurs. He not only humbled
Trabert. but gave Tony a good
tennis lesson to boot. 40, 6-3.
l6-3, So.
"In a Tough Spot"
Were in a tough spot" said
Bill Talbert, United States cap
tain. There's no denying that.
But We still can win. Both Tony
and Vic are in good shape"
| How about Trabert's shoulder?
He injured 1t couple of weeks
ago at Southampton and has
been out Of action since.
tits perfectly all right" Tall
bert replied. "At least, asked
Tony and he told me it was OK"
Whatever the reason, Trabert
certainly didn't perform like a
fellow who had won 16 of 10
tournaments over the season,
Gaping it off by sailing through
Wimbledon without the loss Of
set.
He failed to take advantage Of
lhis openings. .Hoad. in turn.
pushed him to the backcourt
when it became apparent that
Tony wasn't going to press the
issue. At the start, Hoad, fear
lful of Trabert's cannonball de-
livery, stayed in the backcourt
and sent back easy returns.
That's how the American won
the first set.
HOad Turns Aggressive
But from the start of the
second set onward. it was a diff
ferent story. Hoad began taking
Tony's service on the rise. No
longer timid, he moved a step
inside the baseline.
| Trabert had one good chance
to pull ahead in the third set.
He was ahead 81, having brok-
en- Hoad's service and could have
piled up a Al lead, which would
have been mighty hard to over
come. But he flubbed it, getting
Ionly one point on his service.
After that, it was all Hoad.
Tony, a sharp net player.
watched placements fly by him
time and again. The final count
Showed Hoad with So placements
to Tony's SO.
Seixas simply was no match
for Rosewall, a wiry little
swinger who has perhaps the
finest ground strokes in the
game. Ken showed a better
service than usual and his fore
hand, sometimes found wanting.
scored numerous points for him.
Rosewall Better Player"
Under Talbert's orders, Seixas
continually played to Rosewall's
forehand and more often than
not. had the return pasted past
him. Even so. he broke through
| in the fifth and ninth games Of
the second set.
He was the better player"
Seixas said. That's all there
was to it. He had the shots
and I couldn't get to them.
think I played well and I wasn't
the least bit tired at the end"
Harry Hopman, Aussie cap
tain, was elated, as would be ex-
pected of a fellow who has one
of the sports most priced pos
sessions in his grasp.
II think we'll win it," he said.
I'm certain Hoad can beat
Seixas and If the decision still
is in doubt when Rosewall and
Trabert play the final match I'd
have to give the edge to Ken
based on what I saw in the OPEN
ing singles. Trabert definitely
did not play his best"