New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-10-24
THE LAWN TENNIS SEASON.
COMPLIMENTARY ESTIMATES OF AMERI-
CAN PLAYERS BY THE ENGLIsHMEN
wRENN AND LARNED CONSIDERED EQUAL II
THE BEST PLAYsRs-rHE RANK OF THE

wRENN AND LARNED CONSIDERED EQUAL TO
THE BEST PLAYsRs-rHE RANK OF THE
FIRST THIRTEEN.
Now that the lawn tennis season is over and the
players have turned more seasonable sports. the
fattering results of the summers international
matches are brought home with double force. AL
though they stu harp. on. the time-worn excuse
Of the American climate. even the English author
tiles admit that our players are much stronger
than they had supposed. Eaves and Mahony both
declared before they left American shores that
Wrenn and Larned were almost, IL not quite, equal
TO the best players OF the world.
Certainly their record against the visitors was
decidedly in their favor. There were in all, during
the five weeks the foreigners were here. sixteen
international matches in singles. when they were
opposed by irst-class American experts. OF these
matches Wrenn and Larned all but three
Wrenn being beaten once each by Eaves and MIS-
bet and Larned being beaten by Nsbet
Wrenn was certainly In poor form the day he lost
TO Eaves at Hoboken. and then 1t took five close
sets for the Brsher to win the match: while in
Chicago the champion also lost a close match
to Nisbet through Indifferent play on his part
Nisbets victory over Larned took place at New
port In five sets after the American had had
lead OF two sets TO love. five games TO four and
vantage twice.
Against these three close defeats. Iarned beat
Eaves twice. Nesbit three times and Mahony
Eavcs and Mahony eath twice. In doubles too.
there were three international matches Of i'm
portance during the year. and the American play
ers won two OF them and lost the third only after
five close had been played. Although the
visitors beat all American second-class players
with great regularity when they were opposed 10
them there was one notable exception. and that
in Whtman's play at Newport. During the
championship Tournament the young Harvard
champion beat Mahony in four sets. and then
played Nisbet five exciting sets the next day. the
In the last being - In faVor or the Englsn-
man.
Whitman however, did not justify this streak OF
brilliant play by either previous or subsequent
matches. and he must be grouped with the second
class experts. His defeats by Ware, Bond and
Forbes showed that he was not above their rank.
Mahony almost sick Newport, and his de-
feat partially attributable to his weakness.
No such excuse can be urged for Nisbet. although
he is erratic player at best and subject TO
great variations OF skill.
on the whole however the international play OF
tho season was Overwhelmingly In favor of the
American players, and already there IS some talk
Of sending team OF American experts abroad next
spring 10 try conclusions with the Britishers on
their own soil II is due only 10 the sportsmanlike
conduct OF the visitors in accepting defeat. how
ever that this plan Is feasible: for many feared
another international estrangement in sport similar
TO that caused by the Dunraven- Defender yachting
scandal Certain ii ia that the tennis visitors had
better cause Of grievance than the evidence pro-
duced at the yachting investigation showed for
Dunravcn. and. had they smarted so much under
defeat "a the celebrated yachtsmsn international
tennis next year might have been impossible.
American crowds, particularly those at Newport
were so partial In their desire for the American
players TO win that at times they showed scant