New-York tribune., 1896-08-28
THE TENNTS UPTONSHTP.

BY rccapturing this week at Newport the Ma
iiona lawn tennis championship. won by him
IN 1893 and 1894. and lost year ago 10 +. H.
IIovey. X. ID. Wrenn. Of Chicago. has apparently
established beyond question his right 10 be
clasScd the leading American player in this
difficult and exaciing branch of outdoor sports
Not since the days when r. ID. Sears. of Boston,
surrendered his undispned title TO the cham
ponship has any competitor at the Newport
tournaments been able 10 win and hold The cha
enge cup for more than two years; but Mr.
Wrcnn. by retrieving his unexpected defeat OF
last summer. has finally broken the spell and
made the cup his personal property by lnscrbng
his name the necessary three times on the covet
ed trophy.
The actual superiority N play of the new
champion has long been warmly disputed by the
partiSans Of his less successful rivals and his
victories have often reversed the rather conf
dent judgments of the tennis talent. When
in 1893 he defeated Hovey in the All-Comers
Tournament. and took the championship from
O. $ Campbell by the latter default. there were
those who attributed his success TO good fortune
rather than merit. But when the following
year he alone among the American experts, was
able 70 meet and vanquish Goodbody, a visiting
Irishman. and thus keep the challeng" cup and
the title of American champion from passing
across the Atlantic, his genuine skill and pluck
as n player exacted deserved and universal
recognition. Last year he fell before Hovey
whose long and conscientious struggle for the
first rank among American players was finally
rewarded-thc Newtown player finishing Ma
tional tournament for once in the brilliant, al
most unrivallcJ form of which he has now and
then shown himself capable. This week, how
ever. on his superior qualities of endurance.
stcadincss and cooneSs Wrenn has once more
vanqushed his old college mate and rival. and
proven ndsputably his mastery on American
tennis courts
Wrenn's record in tho tournament was re-
markablc for he had to fight for every inch Of
advancement Al the outset he lost the first two
of five sets to young Harvard player named
Hallowell. and seemed at one time in absolute
danger of defeat. His next three matches-wh
Davis. of ST. Louis. and his two brothers. Evarts
Wrcnn and George Wrcnn. of Chicago-wcre
closely and obsinaely fought Six of the eleven
sets played went TO vantage, and the champion
was hard pressed At many critical stages. The
final matches against Ncel. Tarncd and IIovey
were all sensational and desperate Against both
Iarned and Ncel Wrenn lost two sets out Of
the first three and only his magnificent rallylng
powers enaDled MIN 10 shatcn victory IN eacn
case NJ the very close of the struggle Both
Larncd and Hovey undoubtedly show Mt times
strcaks Of tennis far above Wrcnns level of at
talnmcnt. But both these uneven and erratic
players are likely to subordinate the scoring Of
points to a display of hazardous brillance and
neither of them seems capable Of matching the
Chicago expert In al"rt. intelligent. studied play
or in the power Of sustained effort Larned,
Wrenns nearest rival this year. played on Eng
lish and Irish courts during the earlier part Of
the summer. and met with fair. though not strik-
ing. success 1t would be exceedingly interest
ing TO see the American champion of 1893 1894
and 1896 measure strength next year with the
usually higherratcd players of England and
ireland