Sport: Down Under

Ever since 1907, when Australia startled both hemispheres by taking the Davis Cup from the British Isles, tennists from Down Under have ranked with the top-notchers of the world and their national championships have increased in importance until they are now included, along with those of France, England and the U. S., in the Big Four of international tennis events.

Last week a small but select group of internationalists gathered at Adelaide for the fourth and last stop on the annual world tennis cruise. Competitively, the company was fast. Germany’s Baron Gottfried von Cramm and Henner Henkel, U. S. doubles champions, were ending a barnstorming tour of Australia that had been preceded by a barnstorming tour of Japan. Donald Budge and Gene Mako, All-England doubles champions, were winding up a two-month Australian series of exhibitions and competitions.

Last U. S. team to journey to the Antipodes was headed by Ellsworth Vines. That was in the winter of 1932-33 when Vines was champion of England and the U. S. On his return, Champion Vines lost his form, lost his All-England title to Australia’s Jack Crawford, lost his U. S. title to England’s Fred Perry, finally turned professional. The U. S. Lawn Tennis Association prudently stopped sending representatives to barnstorm-below the equator.

Last summer, however, the Australian Lawn Tennis Association prevailed upon U. S. tennis bigwigs to permit Donald Budge, champion of the U. S. and England, to visit Australia. The Australians frankly wanted Champion Budge, a great one for form, to be seen and perhaps imitated by up & coming Australian tennists, of whom there are many. The U. S. L. T. A., feeling that Donald Budge could stand the gaff, acquiesced.

Coming out for the semi-finals of the Australian Singles last week, Donald Budge had thus far justified his compatriots’ if not his hosts’ faith in him. After two months of this & that, during which he had dropped four matches (two to Baron von Cramm and two to Australia’s Jack Bromwich) and irritated Australian tennis fans by his lackadaisical performance, Champion Budge had demonstrated that, although he is no superhuman tennis machine, he is still the best amateur tennist in the world. At Adelaide he had reached the semi-finals without losing a set. In the other half of the draw, Baron von Cramm had reached the semi-finals too. Prospects were good for another pull-devil-pull-baker Budge-von Cramm final, as dramatic as the ones at Wimbledon and Forest Hills last summer. But while Budge in his semifinal was easily upsetting Australia’s No. i Adrian Quist (6-4, 6-2, 8-6), von Cramm made the mistake of losing to his opponent, Australia’s No. 3 Jack Bromwich (3-6,

5-7, 1-6).

Instead of an exciting Budge-von Cramm final, Australians witnessed the painful spectacle of Champion Budge annihilating the ambidextrous and two-handed attack of 19-year-old Jack Bromwich,-which had been powerful enough to win three of the four major state championships (Queensland New South Wales,

South Australian) this season. Budge took just three sets to turn out a carbon copy of what he had done the previous month in the Victoria championship (fourth major state championship): beat Australia’s No. i hope for this year’s Davis Cup recovery (6-4, 6-2, 6-1).

After adding the Australian singles to his collection of titles, Budge sat on the sidelines to watch Bromwich & Quist (who had managed to eliminate the U. S. team in the semifinals) defeat von Cramm & Henkel in the final of the men’s doubles (7-5, M, 6-0).

-Bromwich serves with his right hand, switches to his left for shots on that side, uses both hands for shots on his right side. The two-handed grip is an Australian specialty, made famous by Davis Cupper Vivian McGrath, Australia’s No. 2.