Time for a Change

Two bright new prospects have appeared on the cloudy horizon of U.S. tennis: 19year-old Chris Crawford of Piedmont, Calif, and 17-year-old Earl Buchholz Jr. of St. Louis. Crawford, a promising baseball pitcher turned tennis slugger after an arm injury, surprised tennis buffs last month by upsetting U.S. Davis Cuppers Gardnar Mulloy and Barry MacKay in the U.S. championships at Forest Hills. Later, in the Pacific Southwest tournament, he pulled the shocker of the year when he defeated Australia's Ashley Cooper, current holder of the U.S. and Wimbledon titles. Admitted Cooper: "He can hurt you from anywhere on the court. You think you have him deep enough so you can come in, and then he'll slam it past you."

Tall (6 ft. 3 in.), gangling Earl Buchholz has size, poise and court sense, and some experts feel he may ultimately outshine Crawford. Former Davis Cup Captain Billy Talbert calls him "the best young player since Kramer." Son of a St. Louis tennis pro, "Butch" Buchholz entered his first tournament at six, won both singles and doubles titles at this year's National Junior championships. Unlike many of today's serve-and-volley youngsters, Buchholz also has sound and superbly fashioned ground strokes, can beat his man from the back of the court.

Last week the Davis Cup selection committee of the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association named both Crawford and Buchholz to the 1958 Davis Cup team. Neither is apt to play in the Cup match itself, for which the U.S. will probably go with experienced Ham Richardson, 25, currently the best of the U.S.'s none-too-good veterans, powerful but erratic Barry MacKay, 23, who beat Cooper in last year's Cup singles; and Alejandro Olmedo, 22, eligible for the U.S. squad because his native Peru has no team and he has lived in the U.S. more than three years. But the two teen-agers will be playing in warmup tournaments and gaining experience. Looking ahead, the U.S.L.T.A. was clearly betting on Crawford and Buchholz.

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