The morning call., 1890-06-08

lumDia.
Many of the crack players who con-
tested in last years tournaments for the
championships are entered again this year.
With the exception of the Newport tourna-
ment all the entries are pretty full. The
double championships for men, East and
West, promise to ill and to be very success
full, while the singles at Newport are sure
to bring out the biggest crowd of tennis
lovers and the finest playing of the year.
Newport makes tennis business during
tournament week. Nobody does anything
else and all the talk among the fashion,
ables while the playing lasts is of good
form, reverse and overland service, fore
hand and backhand vOleys and other
equally technical terms, which, however,
are quite Ineligible, since everybody may
be presumed to know the rules of the
game.
The Newport tournament is really the eli
max of the tennis year, and all PLAYERS
strive to get in the best possible condition
for it. 1t is not unlikely that there may be
a little human vanity in this, as the tennis
court is sure to be surrounded in fine
weather by bevies of the prettiest girls i'm
aginable, who take deep interest in the
tactics, and who, besides, are really compe-
tent TO criticize, since almost all know how
to play capital game. The Newport
singles this year will be fought for at the
end OF the seaSon-the last week in Septem-
ber-wheh is little later than usual. The
fact that in late years little attention has
been paid to other tournaments outside of
Newport has stirred up the competing teams
TO action, and some particularly brilliant
work may be expected.
Among the fine play ers who will be heard
from in the various tournaments, Howard
a. Taylor of the New York Athletic Club.
one of the rising stars OF the tennis court,
stands prominent. In the claSSi ication for
last year, Taylor ranked very high, and it
ttra, atfufa tod hot In xty, fhn
All Corners. and make a strong bid for the
championship. His defeat by Q. A. Shaw
of Harvard t0ok everybody by surprise.
Shaw kept up the remarkable record, how
ever, and did astonishingly good work,
beating the best men at New York and
Narragansett Pier, and making so good a
showing that many were disposed to accord
him second place in the ranking this year.
He may give SlGcum strong fight for the
championship. Two other famous cracks,
who are sure to he heard from, are o. S.
Campbell, who beat MeerS, the English
player, and scored line of victories at
Narragansett, and W. P. Knapp, who
won O victory over Taylor at New
port. G. A. Chase, who has at
one time defeated both Shaw and Campbell;
r. p. Huntington Jr., Yale's champion and
a thorough expert in a dirt court, but
rather weak player on the turf. yet who has
made fine record as good, even, consist
ent player; p. 5. Sears, brother of the IA
nous Richard d. Sears, and who seems to
have inherited what lovers of the game call
the "tennis strain" like all his family;
Valentine G. Hail. the Secretary of the
New York Athletic Club, good, all-round,
reliable player; Deane Miller, Clarence HO-
bart, Francis G. Beach. r. Y. Beach, j. w.
Nichols Jr., Fred Mansfield, j. Hovey, a.
L. Reeves, NJ. Fielding, George R. Fearing
Hurd, A. E. Williston, }. A. Ryerson, NJ.
K. Wright, besides the champion ana the
noted players already named, are among
those entered in the All-COmers at the New
port Casino Grounds, as competitors for the
handsome prize that always accompanies
the honor of holding the champion cup.
There are each year from thirty to forty
entries in the All-Comers. BY a system of
elimination the number is reduced until it
gets down to one man, who then contests
with the present champion for the title at
singles. The Casino grounds, where the
court is laid, are the finest in America, and
the broad stretch is as level as a billiard
table, with wide border outside the court
for the use of spectators. On three sides
the field is shaded by trees. and with the
turf in prime condition there is not q par
ticle Of dust to veX the players.
Outside of the All-COmers, the two prin-
cipal fixtures are the Eastern and Western
double championships, the former at Staten
Island and the latter at Chicago. Last
year the Eastern Doubles could hardly be
called success. The entries were few and
the weather uniay0rable. the brilliant
playing of SlOcum, Campbell, Taylor and
Valentine G. Hall, the four champions of
1888, alone redeemed the tournament. This
years entries include all four, and many
new aspirants for the hon0rs as well. Tay-
lor and Slocnm, although they think of re-
firing from the game this year, have pledged
themselves to play, and Han and Campbell
are eager TO aYenge last years defeat.
In the Western Doubles at Chicago the
Chase brothers will again enter the list
Last year they won victory over Hall and
Carver, two of the finest cracks in the
West, scoring in the finals G-3 81 and g.
The Chicago tournament Will decide the
competitions of the East and West at New
port and the American double championship
for 1890.
Not the least interesting fixture for the
season is the single and double champion
ship for women. There are several tennis
clubs composed exclusively OF the fair sex
and belonging to the U. S. n. L. L. A., n
majority OF them located in New York and
Philadelphia. Last year there were several
exciting matches, in which the superior play
OF Miss Robinson and Miss Roosevelt was
quite marked. In some of the Journeys
theie were rallies in which the ball crossed
the net more frequently than in the best
contests between men. IL Is generely
agreed that in Lobbying and tossing" +"
the ladies are the peers of the male players,
as these strokes call for delcacy and deft-
ness. rather than strength.
According to the best masculine experts
the ladies have been huggug delusi0n in
regarding lawn tennis as 2 game peculiarly
suited to their sex. 1t goes quite nicely
when they play in mild, easy-going fash
ion, as one sees 1t played occasionally. But
tennis is very far from being wOman's
sport. AS now played by amateurs all
over the country it demands degree of
muscular exertion and even violence as
great as baseball. Yet woman's con-
fdence when she sets out to play the game
is sublime. She Is sure she is going 10 win !;
and she swings her drapery, tightens her
hat or her particOlored tennis cap, sticks
her little heels deep into the turf and
clutchiDg the racket runs up to the net
and ''sInashes" the ball like little man.
She can't make long stroke, like her mas
culine partner, but she can smash and molly
and do all the difficult things. and do them
well, too. All she lacks is the physical
strength and endurance that are essential
to the game, especialiylwhen she has to be
on her feet at it for hours ON broiling day
They can't play the game at ALL" said
Secretary Hall of the U. S. n l.. T. A
1.-THE exercise is too violent for them.
They play very nicely among themselves,
same thing, practically. Still the dear
creatures keep it up aud seem to enjoy it.
The Intercollegiate tournament at New
Haven in October is yet to0 far ahead to
discuss. A score of the smaller tennis
clubs have arranged their meetings at
Rochester, N. Y, New Haven. Monterey,
CAL, Bar Harbor, Nahant, Narragansett,
Lennox, and other places where there are
fine courts, and altogether the season PROM
ises to be an unusually excellent one for
the devotees Of the popular sport.
Copurfoht 1880. Nelo York, MQy 3Ist