At Wimbledon

In past years, the correspondents sent to cover the Wimbledon tournament for the U. S. press have never failed to mention the women who were competing there. After a two-column story about some match in the men's singles, there would be a sentence or two mentioning a "taut white skirt" and, perhaps, tucked under one of Tilden's feet. a picture of Kitty McKane, British champion in 1924. Miss McKane is now, resolutely, Mrs. Godfree, and this year her picture was at the top of every spread. Over the shadows of Helen Wills (scratched), of Suzanne Lenglen (retired), of Molla Mallory (beaten), she stepped forward to win the "Women's Wimbledon."

The girl she defeated in the finals was Lilli de Alvarez, graceful, excitable, spectacular. Disregarding the convention which calls upon the virgin daughters of Spain to spend their evenings peeping from a barred window at the cloaked shape of a lover in the doorway opposite, Senorita Alvarez managed to make herself the most competent female stroke-player in the world, not excepting Lenglen. But the perfect execution of strokes does not necessarily mean matches won, and the play of Senorita Alvarez is always more thrilling than dependable. She will sacrifice many errors for an ace, she would rather lose with a gesture than win with a lob, and so it fell out that her match with steady Mrs. Godfree went in waves. First Mrs. Godfree won a set, then the Senorita, with blazing eyes and a hail of placements, took the second. She was tired after that; she would not start for a ball unless she thought she could kill it; stroke by stroke Mrs. Godfree gathered in the championship of England.

Elizabeth Ryan and Mary K. Browne beat Mrs. Godfree and Evelyn Colyer in the doubles. Supported by her able husband, Mrs. Godfree marched over Howard Kinsey and Miss Browne in straight sets.

Correspondents remembered to mention the men who competed in the tournament. Jean Borotra of France won the singles, sweeping past Howard Kinsey. Paired with Richards, Kinsey lost the doubles to Jacques Brugnon and Henri Coehet, champion of France, 5-7, 6-4, 3-6, 2-6. Richards played very badly. Both he and Kinsey showed a tendency, indeed, a habit, to serve double faults and to volley from the service line.