Heiresses Apparent

The best women tennis players in the U.S. were on view last week in a tournament at the Essex County Club in Manchester, Mass., and they had the stage to themselves. The men, who usually get the lion's share of attention from press and public, were playing elsewhere (at Newport, R.I.*). The galleries at Manchester were small, but those on hand had plenty to see. The net impression: the reign of the two current tennis queens, Wimbledon Champion Louise Brough (26) and U.S. Champion Margaret Osborne du Pont (31), is seriously threatened for the first time in three years.

In the last week's semifinals, Brough came up against frail, canny Doris Hart of Jacksonville, Fla., No. 3 in the U.S. rankings. In the damp footing, Brough was unable to play her usual forcing game and Hart beat her with sharpshooting placements, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1. In the finals, Du Pont took Hart's measure, but only after coming from behind, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

In addition to the 24-year-old Hart, tennis bugs were keeping an eye on:

P: Ambidextrous 19-year-old Beverly Baker of Santa Monica, Calif., who took a first set from Brough at Manchester. Freckle-faced, pug-nosed Tennist Baker changes her racket from hand to hand and strokes every shot on her forehand. She hits hard, but needs more experience, more change of pace. Most of her courtmates think she will be the champ some day--maybe soon. At 19, Beverly has plenty of time.

P: Curvaceous Gertrude ("Gorgeous Gussie") Moran, 25, the most eye-filling thing in women's tennis since Britain's Kay Stammers Menzies retired. Since the memorable lace-pantie experiment at Wimbledon (TIME, July 4), Gussie has switched back to shorts, promises to bear down on her tennis, which she thinks has suffered from too much publicity.

On last week's form, the national women's singles at Forest Hills (which start late this month) no longer looked like a pre-ordained duel between Brough and Du Pont. Doris Hart had a good chance to win. The others' chances were slimmer, but any one, playing over her head for one day, might dump one of the queens before it was over.

* Where U.S. Champion Pancho Gonzales beat Gardnar Mulloy in the finals of the Newport Invitation tournament 10-8, 9-11, 6-3, 6-4.

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