Davis Cup

To save time and. money, the 20-odd countries whose tennis teams challenge for the Davis Cup have been divided into two zones, North American and European. Winner of the American zone plays the winner of the European zone. Winner of this round plays the Cup holder--this year England--in the challenge round. Convenient for all concerned, this arrangement is especially handy for the one potent regular entrant which is in neither one zone nor the other, Australia. For the past three years Australia challenged in the European zone. This year well aware that, to win the Cup, their team would have to beat the U. S. in the interzone round anyway, Australia's Davis Cup Committee decided to challenge in the American zone.

U. S. Davis Cup history for the past nine years has taken the form of prodigious ballyhoo preceding a thrashing. This year the ballyhoo, as loud as usual, was briefer but the thrashing was identical. Rules limit each team to four men. Before the matches started, the U. S. selection committee picked Donald Budge and Wilmer Allison for the singles matches, passed over Bryan ("Bitsy") Grant, who had beaten both in practice, chose Budge and Gene Mako as the U. S. doubles team. On the courts of the Germantown Cricket Club, where France won the Cup from the U. S. in 1927, Allison, whose game rarely reaches its peak till late August, proved that this year was no exception by losing to Australia's Adrian Quist. After a long, see-saw match, long-legged Budge put the U. S. back in the running with a courageous victory over Australia's wily old Jack Crawford.

Turning point came next day, when Budge & Mako were leading Quist & Crawford two sets to one. At 4-5 and 15-30 on Quist's serve, Crawford sent a short lob into centre court. Instead of smashing it, Mako put it into the net. Quist & Crawford then pulled out the set. Budge & Mako got a lead of 4-1 in the fifth set. When Crawford & Quist managed to win this one also, and with it the match, 4-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, the result of the American Zone final, barring miracles, was certain. No miracles occurred. Next day, Crawford beat Allison 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, While they played their match, Quist was lying down in his room in the clubhouse listening to the radio broadcast, confident that since Australia had won the series, not he but Alternate Vivian McGrath would be sent to the court to play against Budge. Bundled out to face Budge himself after a 10 min. delay, he played listlessly, was trounced 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. But it was too late to matter, and U. S. excitement about the Davis Cup was over until 1937-

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