Grass-Eaters

At almost exactly the same instant on the sleek turf courts of the Sea Bright Lawn Tennis & Cricket Club in New Jersey, two different linesmen, on two different courts, cried "Out!" Both balls were hit on match points. One was struck by Don McNeill, national champion, ranked No. 1 by virtue of his victory in the singles on Forest Hills grass courts last year; the other by Frank Parker, national clay court champion, who has won eight of the nine hard-court tournaments he has played in this year.

McNeill, who has won not a single tournament this year, has had a wretched season--about the worst for a No. 1 ranker since John Hope Doeg's memorable fadeout ten years ago. His game is more effective on grass than on clay, and he has been playing on clay. But his shots had been going badly and his confidence was shaken. He had no alibi last week. Parker, onetime protege of Coach Mercer Beasley, who comes up every year with a "remodeled" forehand, had an alibi. He likes clay better than turf; his mechanical style thrives on a higher bounce than he gets from grass.

Meanwhile, without attracting much attention, a compact, snaggle-toothed young man of 23 knocked over opponents like straw men, moved down to the finals with the loss of only one set. Bobby Riggs, ranked No. 2, had thrice won the Sea Bright Tournament, the first major grass-court tournament of the season. Bobby felt fine this year. His weight was up five pounds (to 140) and he had found out how to relax in the middle of a match without lowering his game. Tennis fans consider him the smartest, nearest thing to a veteran in the present crop of headliners. He doesn't hit very hard, but he hits for the openings. He has a fine, quick wrist that enables him to mask the direction of a shot until the last moment.

In the final Riggs met the man who beat McNeill--Ted Schroeder, National Doubles champion (with Jack Kramer) from Glendale, Calif. Schroeder, who a few years ago was good for a kid, is now much better than that. He plays a hard-driving game that will take him further than he has come. In his match with Riggs he was a slugger against a boxer. Schroeder seemed to be still tired from his match the day before with Wayne Sabin, the man who beat Parker.

In the final Schroeder's stuff often left Riggs flatfooted, but Riggs ran Schroeder ragged. At the end of two sets, both of which he lost by 6-4, Schroeder was done in. In the last set he did not win a game. Bobby Riggs became the first man in tennis history to win four Sea Bright tournaments.

When the tournament was getting under way Riggs had said: "The man who wins at Sea Bright will win at Forest Hills." After it he saw no reason to change his chipper mind.

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