Wiry, French-born Pierre Etchebaster, 56, holds a unique position at Manhattan’s exclusive Racquet & Tennis Club. Most of the time, while giving instruction in the rare and extremely intricate game of court tennis (TIME, April 26, 1948), he treats club members with the deference expected of a staff employee. But when anybody, member or not, challenges him for the open world court tennis title he has held for 21 years, Pierre sets out to beat his opponent’s ears off.
Last week, after 30 days of training, the aging master stepped confidently out to meet a Racquet Club challenger: 41year-old Socialite Ogden Phipps, the amateur champ. He noticed that Phipps, to whom Etchebaster has frequently given pointers, was tense and nervous. Once the big match (7 out of 13 sets) got under way, Pierre patiently mixed his shots and waited for an opening. Phipps relied principally on strength and speed, but they were not enough and he went down, 6-0, 6-2, 6-0, 6-2.
Four days later, after dropping the first set, Etchebaster clinched his hold on the title by outmaneuvering Phipps, 6-4, 6-2, 6-3. Said Pierre: “It is like chess with a racquet; the game is played in the head.”
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