Sport: Poker Face

Peering intently from beneath her perky white visor, crafty Helen Wills, of California, kept track of every tennis ball that came whizzing her way at Forest Hills, L. I. When she had dealt firmly with the last one, she was still national singles champion and, with Mrs. George Wightman, of Philadelphia, national doubles champion.

Like Glenna Collett, pensive golfer, Helen masks her competitive ardors with a sphinxlike countenance. Sport writers have dubbed her "Poker Face." Also like Glenna, she has the wrist and forearm of a strongish man.

Inscrutable, Helen forged through three preliminary matches in one hour, eight minutes of playing time. Still inscrutable, she tussled through the semi-final against strenuous Mary K. Browne, ageless Californian, losing her one set of the tournament when a misunderstanding jogged her service rhythm on Miss Browne's set-point.

In the other semi-final match, burly Molla Mallory planted herself far back by the baseline, pounded Eleanor Goss out of the tournament with solid, masculine drives.

The final was brief, 6-1, 6-3. As sinewy as Molla and much more cunning, Poker Face dealt out aces, forced shot after shot off Holla's tight-clenched racquet.

Eleanor Goss and Marion Z. Jessup were the other doubles finalists.