The fourth set went to Trevor after a hard battle, eight games to six,
and the decisive struggle commenced. It was Trevor’s serve, and for
the first time during the contest he won a love game on it, Stewart
returning every ball out of court. On Stewart’s service Trevor failed
almost as signally, getting but one return over. Stewart tried lobbing
in the next game with disastrous results, and Trevor again won. With
the games 1-3 Stewart took a decided brace and secured the next on
his service, and the following one partly through Trevor’s poor work
and partly through fine handling of the puzzling serves. It was then
Trevor’s turn to win twice running, and he brought the score to 3-4;
Stewart by faultless service made it four games all; each then won on
his service and the score was games all.
It had been decided that the final set should not be a vantage set,
and hence the next game would settle the contest. The two lads
changed courts, and the audience looked for a speedy termination of
the struggle. Trevor led off with a fault and followed it with a poor
serve that allowed Stewart to return a slashing ball far into the
right angle of side- and base-lines. Trevor was too late, and amid
the applause of the crowd, and somewhat disconcerted, he repeated his
previous performance; the first ball went into the net and the second
bounced obligingly into Stewart’s racket and came skimming back swift
and low, touching the canvas strip and dropping almost lifeless in the
shadow of the net. This was also lost to Trevor, and the score was
love-thirty. Trevor looked grimly determined now, and Stewart watched
sharply for the next serve. He found it and returned it, and Trevor,
with excellent judgment, crouched out of its way and let it go by well
out of court. The next serve was one of Trevor’s best, and it found
a good big hole in his adversary’s racket. The score was thirty all.
Stewart found the next serve and put it into Trevor’s hands; the latter
cut it to the left of the opposite court, but Stewart sent it back
neatly toward the base-line. Trevor reached it by a long run, and with
a magnificent back-hand stroke tried to place it over his opponent’s
head. But Stewart was watchful and alert, and ran back in time, and
again volleyed, sending the sphere down the right-side line. Trevor
again returned, seeking a place out of reach of his nimble adversary,
and Stewart, after a hard chase across court, got it on the bound and
played it gently over. Trevor had followed up, however, and it was
all over on the next play, for although Stewart dashed back again to
the territory he had just left unprotected the ball was dead when he
reached it. The score was now 40-30, and the game, set, and match might
be won on the next stroke.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account