According To Chairman Mao

The Chinese won 17 of the 146 sets played, but gained only one straight-set victory: the rangy Ch'en Chuan over Sherry Acker. The pros never had to extend themselves, but the college kids (Acker is at Florida, Anne Smith, Benson and Gottfried at Trinity in San Antonio) drove hard. One night in Shanghai's splendid 18,000-seat Indoor Sports Hall, the best seats—which went for 12�—were sold out, and the crowd of 8,000 was the largest to watch tennis in China. Benson, a slim, curly-headed journalism major, had never played before so many people, and he was hyped up. He banged through the first 10 games to lead Tun Yung 6-0, 4-0. "Hey, Johnny, take it easy," Gould called over. "If this guy doesn't get any games, they might farm him out to a commune." Obediently, Benson let up and his opponent got two games.

The two indoor matches in Shanghai were played on a wooden basketball floor; the other courts were clay with a hard-packed sand surface. Except for Shanghai, the crowds were modest and nearly mute. "As long as they don't snore," said Stan Smith during a characteristically long period of silence during a Shanghai match.

Yet the spectators were attentive and appreciative—"just not the demonstrative type," Smith said. "Very stylish," said Gorman, grinning. "They're like a Southampton crowd in the old days—except these people are paying attention to the tennis. They've got a sense of humor. You know that when you see what breaks them up—somebody missing an easy shot, especially one of their own players."

Gorman said, "The Chinese may be the most incredible players in the world. By that I mean it's unbelievable how good they are considering that they're so insulated, have only themselves to compete with and play only two or three tournaments a year. We haven't discovered a tennis power here by any means, but they're very respectable."

Stylish the audience may be, but the Chinese have not yet discovered Ted Tinling and exotic dresses with lace panties. Yu and her female colleagues wore ample shorts and tennis shirts, identical to those of their male counterparts. Although the Americans were politely received, the frilly undergarments worn by a couple of our women on a practice court in Peking drew lusty chirps from Peeping Toms behind the fence.

Tinling may not have crashed the People's Republic, but the teachings of the Newport Bolshevik—scoring radical Jimmy Van Alen—are certainly evident. Tie breakers flourish, but only pure, revolutionary Van Alen sudden death (best of 9 points). The Chinese have also banished love, 15, 30, 40, sharing Van Alen's preference for zero, 1,2,3. While it is difficult to picture James Van Alen and Mao Tse-tung as fellow travelers, when Jimmy learns of the score-keeping sagacity of the Chinese, he is likely to drive his Rolls-Royce all the way to Peking to congratulate them.