The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-15

NOW FOR TENNIS
What Champion Wrenn and Other
Crack Men Arc Going to Do
Ihsrs VIII BE international CoatsstD-If
the EnglishDen Come Over HeFss
- Expected. Our Hogs WIN 80
Prepared to Meet The&
lcoPYRIcHr. iseGl

4
When Hovey and Wrenn met In the
final round of the championship ourna-
ment At Newport. fully nine-tenths Of
those who had seen both men play
thought victory for Hovey was q
ioregone conclusion, and the chief in
| terest was in the score rather than the
| result Wrenn won, to the surprise Of
the great majority of those present,
and as Campbell declined to defend
| the championship he became champion
| of America.
Most of the leaders Of last season
| will be 'sin the hunt" again this year,
while q host of promising young
cracks" will keep them hustling to
maintain the honors won on EARLIER
fields of glory. To fill the cup Of the
| tennis enthusiast the announcement is
made upon reliable authority that sew
eral Of the most famous of the Eng
lsh experts at the game will be pres
ent and play for the American cham
pionship ut Newport next August. 1
am informed by a well-known tennis
player, who is in a position to know.
that there is strong probability of
our seeing one or both of the famous
Renshaw brothers, whose names have
become known all over the world for
their skin at the game, and G. ". Hill
yard will try this year for the title
Wrenn holds. ALI three Of the Eng
Eshmen named spent q large part of
last winter at Cannes in the south
Of France, where they played tennis
| ov1v al
there that the scheme TO visit this
country next summer was planned.
Several American players of note also
visited Cannes last winter and met tho
celebrated English experts. Richard
Stevens and Deane Miller both played
some while there, while E. L. Hall and
Marion r Wright visited the courts
without taking part in the games at
all. Stevens, who is one Of the first
ten players in America, played against
both Ernest Renshaw and Hillyard
while he was there, and the results Of
these games are Of particular interest
On account Of the possible visit of these
men to our courts.
Stevens is an expert "base line"
play er but cannot volley well. He Il
also strongly prejudiced against any
but grass courts and had to play on
clay At Cannes BE was IN poor form,
too, for he had played little or none
since fall, and did not have much prac-
tice there before meeting the English
men. Renshaw gave him odds Of half
thirty and was beaten. He tried again
allowing Stevens only fifteen, but
again. the American player was the
victor. Hillyard played one set even
with Stevens and won it by g. This
was all the tennis Stevens played
against the foreigners, but he saw
them play many other times. He is,
therefore, IN AN excellent position to
judge of their play as compared with
that of our American experts In speak
ing to me on this subject last week, he
said:
81 think that Hiflyard and Ernest
Renshuw are about as good as any
men we have on this side, but no bet
ter. II they entered at Newport,
either might win the championship,
yet do not think that either of them
would stand better chance for IL
than four or FIVE of ouf best men. 1
do not think the Enghshmen could en-
dure our climate, and IL we happened
to have hot week at Newport, . Ave
set match would be more than they
could stand"
The only previous visit Of first-class
English players to our tournaments
was in 1889 when Z. G. Meers, 1T that
time ranked as q little poorer than the |
best English players. played at New
port for the American championship |
He won three matches from middle |
the semi-fnal round. Campbal1 beat |
him after a rather close match Of five |
sets and was afterw2rd beaten BIZ |
Since then. the same objection has
been repeatedly raised by Englishmen
who fear the climate here. As Ameri-
can players who have played In Eng
land complain of their heavy courts
and have never been able to appear at
their best when abroad, the question
of international supremacy at the sport
is still disputed one.
Shaw, who was unable TO win the
championship from Slocum. At that
time Meers complained of the extreme
heat Of our climate and il was thought
that this fact handicapped him con-
siderably.
OF last years leading ten players. an
but two will probably be in active COM
petition this season. Fred II. Hovey,
of Boston, who has figured so promi-
nently in the championship events for
many years, graduated from the Har-
ward law school last spring and ha.
settled down to business and does not
expect TO play much tennis this season
He tells NE that he will defend the
national championship at doubles
which he holds with Clarence Hobart,
but will not play in the big champion
ship event at Newport. He will also
defend the Longwood challenge trophy |
that he has held for two years He
may also play at West Newton in the
event but these will proba-
bly, be all OF his public matches
As he has just started in law. Il Is
doubtful Il ne finds his time so taken
up that he cannot practice great deal
In off hours. so his friends expec: :ha,
he will show his usual brilliancy when
he does play. Some of them whisper
that as the Newport date draws nearer |
he NAV find the temptation 20 enter | Z
too great. and II in good form he may
again try for the hoDors which have |
always seemed for him 70 be 80 near | I
and get so far" II he should PLAY
again in the singles AZ Newport he viii
2 !. L A. =. 4