Here Comes Tony

The newest star on the U.S. tennis horizon is a 20-year-old Cincinnati boy named Marion Anthony (Tony) Trabert. Already this year he has twice beaten the U.S. champion, Art Larsen--once on clay (in the final of the National Clay Court championship) and last week at Southampton, on grass, the more significant surface (because all top tournaments are played on grass courts). Said Frank Shields, the non-playing Davis Cup captain : "If Trabert progresses as much during the next four weeks, he's going to be a world beater. He whips a cross court shot very much like Don Budge's great shot."

In his semifinal match at Southampton against Davis Cup Veteran Gardnar Mulloy (37) one of the game's smoothest stylists, Tony showed the patience of Job, content with driving base-line rallies until he got his opening for the kill. His patience and steadiness beat Mulloy, 6-2, 9-7, 6-3.

Tony Trabert (rhymes with Say, Bert) has an even temperament, the physique of a light heavyweight (6 ft., 175 Ibs.), the cat-quick footwork of a basketball player (which he is), and an ambition to become the world's best player. Trabert owes much of his fine game, and his determination to make it the finest, to his friend and doubles partner Bill Talbert, a New Yorker who hails from Cincinnati himself. Says Trabert: "He's like a brother . . . My tour of Europe with Bill in 1950 did much to raise my game. I learned so much that I couldn't absorb it all. Now it is sinking home and I'm putting it into practice." As a doubles team, Talbert & Trabert have never been beaten; their latest victory was in the Davis Cup match against Japan (TIME, July 30).

In 1950, Trabert ranked twelfth in the U.S. This year, after playing a winter of basketball at the University of Cincinnati (Class of '53, majoring in political science), Tony has moved up fast in the tennis world. His 1951 record: the tri-state championship (over Talbert); the clay-court championship (over Larsen); the intercollegiate championship (over Earl Cochell); the Southern championship (over Jack Tuero); Davis Cup singles and doubles victories (over Japan). His only loss: the final of the Blue-Grey championship (to Tuero).

Last week Trabert got another trophy and looked more impressive than ever as he whipped the U.S.'s No. 2 player, Herb Flam, 6-2, 10-8, 5-7, 6-3, in the Southampton final. This week Tony is seeded No. 2 in the Eastern Grass Court championships at Orange, N.J. to meet top-seeded Dick Savitt, Wimbledon champion.

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