First US Pro Tennis Champion 1927
HOW VINCENT RICHARDS BECAME THE FIRST PRO TENNIS “CHAMP”Â
… Kinsey, as I said, is a much improved player over the player who won his way to the finals at Wimbledon several years ago. He is forcing more, adding speed to his shots, and playing ever with that guile and deception for which he is famous. Against Richards he adopted just the right tactics to worry the blond volleyer; nor did he fail to do so. Knowing well Richards’s tendency to come in on a second service, he invariably got his first ball in, and even tho it was a softer serve than usual, Richards rarely moved forward on it.
Kinsey also kept him away from his favorite position in forecourt by some lobbing that was as near perfect as lobbing can be. I wish every young player in the country could have been there yesterday to have seen how perfect lobbing will slow down and nullify a volleying attack.
Time after time Richards would come in, only to be obliged to retrace his steps for a lob so accurately timed that he was able only to pop it back weakly. This and a fast cross-court dipping drive when Richards was entrenched at the net won Kinsey many points.
But Richards in a year has not stood still either. If you expected a fat, undertrained, uncertain Richards, you were much surprized. The Vincent Richards of 1927 is a keen, well-trained athlete without an ounce of extra flesh upon his body. He was overtennised last year at Forest Hills in the national singles tournament; yesterday he had that subtle sense of touch which makes him the greatest volleyer in the world. Nor do I except either Borotra or Cochet, those two volleying geniuses from across the sea. As he played yesterday with the volleys rising from his shoe-tops to stab first one corner and then another, he would have defeated any one who played at Forest Hills early this month except Lacoste. And a match between the two would be a battle worth going a long way to see.
The match itself was virtually won in the first set when after a 3—0 and 5—3 lead against him Richards evened the score and finally won a long deuce set at 11—9, relates Mr. Tunis, adding:
Kinsey made some astonishing gets of impossible shots; he played Richards correctly and he made the winner hustle all the way.
Even in the last set, when Richards at five games to two and two sets down relaxed an instant, Kinsey came to the net, stowed away a volley at a critical moment and just failed taking the set to games all. But it would have taken even a better player than the improved Howard Kinsey to have defeated Vincent Richards as he played yesterday afternoon.
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