The semi-final round of doubles in the University tennis tournament was played yesterday on Jarvis Field under the most threatening weather conditions. As it was, the rain interfered with one of the semi-final single matches, making it necessary to postpone it until this afternoon. In the doubles, N. W. Niles '09 and E. T. Dana '09 beat S. P. Henshaw 3L. and E. P. Pearson 1L., 6-2, 6-2, and A. S. Dabney '09 and G. P. Gardner, Jr., '10 beat R. Smith 3G. and W. L. Colwell '02, 6-4, 6-0.
At no time were Niles and Dana in danger of defeat. Henshaw was distinctly off his game and served a number of double faults although he made several brilliant back-hand plays. Both Pearson and Dana were good on fore-hand shots but poor on their back-hand. Niles won all his serves and showed a high standard of game throughout. Most of the play, however, was directed at Dana.
The first set between Dabney and Gardner vs. Smith and Colwell was evenly contested and the score by games was close. In this set, the winners were unable at first to solve their opponents' style of play, but in the second, took the lead at the start. At the beginning, Dabney was a trifle unsteady and lost his first serve, but soon steadied down and played his low balls well while Gardner ably cared for all overhead shots. Smith was not up to his usual form in high play but performed well at the net. Colwell played in the back of the court most of the time and put up a good all-round game. His lobbing was especially brilliant.
In the singles, Niles beat K. Howes 2L. in two interesting sets. The first was easy for Niles and the score in games was 5-0 before Howes tallied his one. The second set was much closer as Howes picked up on his serves and played a fine net-game. Both men ran directly up to the net after serving. Niles was never outplayed, however, and his volleying was excellent.
The postponed semi-finals between E. P. Pearson 1L. and C. S. Cutting '12 will be the only match today. They play on Jarvis Field at 2 o'clock.
The finals of singles and doubles will be played off tomorrow and Thursday, respectively.
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