Monday, Jun. 22, 1936

Wightman Cup

Next to Helen Wills Moody, Wimbledon's favorite U. S. lady tennis player is brown-eyed little Sarah Palfrey Fabyan who, almost singlehanded, beat the British Wightman Cup team in 1934 by winning two matches which everyone expected her to lose. Last week, 10,000 of Mrs. Fabyan's admirers gathered in Wimbledon's uncomfortable old stands to see whether history would repeat itself. It was the second day of the Wightman Cup series. England was leading, two matches to one with four matches left.

Smiling demurely, Mrs. Fabyan started the day by playing rings around pretty Kay Stammers, who had beaten Helen Jacobs, the U. S. No. 1, the afternoon before. Miss Jacobs promptly put the U. S. back at a disadvantage by losing to Dorothy Round, then promised "a nice present" to Carolin Babcock if she could win against Ruth Mary Hardwick. Carolin Babcock did so, ran up to claim her present. Instead of producing one, Miss Jacobs got up to take the court with Mrs. Fabyan for the doubles match against Freda James & Kay Stammers which would end the series. The English pair ran through the first set, 6-1. Mrs. Fabyan's shrewd lobs counted in the second, 6-3. In the third set, at 5-all, came the turning point. The U. S. pair broke through Miss James's serve and then, with Mrs. Fabyan serving, won set, match & series, for the Cup the U. S. has held since 1931.

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