The Cup Stays Here

Atop the stadium at Forest Hills fluttered the flags of the U.S., Australia, the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association and the West Side Tennis Club. As grave and important as Cabinet ministers, tennis' venerable scribes and pharisees sat in the marquee. It was a state occasion. On a table at the edge of the spotless carpet of green turf, looking not unlike a pretentious wedding cake, stood the piece of silver that all the excitement was about: the Davis Cup. This was the first challenge round in the U.S. since 1939.

The pairings for the opening singles matches--the U.S.'s Jake Kramer v. Australia's Dinny Pails, the U.S.'s Ted Schroeder v. Australia's Jack Bromwich--were the same as for last December's first day in Melbourne. Champion Kramer set right to work to show that the 5-0 sweep at Melbourne was no fluke. Pails is a picture player with rhythmic, flowing ground strokes; but against Kramer's almost flawless all-court attack, he could offer only token resistance and shake his curly head sadly. The score of Kramer's victory-- 6-2, 6-1, 6-2--was further support for the arguable thesis that Kramer right now is as good as the best in tennis history.

In the match between blond, ambidextrous Jack Bromwich and Ted Schroeder, it was again an all-court player with a "big service" and smashing net game against a baseline hugger. The match was exciting but sloppy. Schroeder's game lacks the finality of Kramer's, and last week Bromwich's hairline drives, particularly his two-fisted baseball swing on his right side, were only occasionally as good as they were in 1939, when the Australians won the cup. Grimacing and holding their heads at their errors, they split the first two sets; then temperamental Ted got his savage overhead under control, and blasted out the next two and the match.

It looked like the start of another sweep, but the Aussies were not through yet. Next day in the doubles, Bromwich and bespectacled Colin Long, a Davis Cup newcomer, were quick to take advantage of an uncertainty in Schroeder's forehand and a lack of sting in Kramer's service. Encouraged by an underdog-loving crowd that wildly cheered their winners and groaned sympathetically when they missed, Bromwich and Long broke Kramer's service three times, won the match in four sets: 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.

Tennis fans had not forgotten the 1939 challenge round when Bromwich and Adrian Quist were down 2-0, then won the doubles and the last two singles matches. It might inspire the 1947 challengers to outdo themselves. It was also enough to put the U.S. stars on their mettle. In next day's opening match, Schroeder beat Pails for the clincher that kept the cup in the U.S.

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