The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-08-24
WRENN MUST DEFEND IT
LARNED DEFEATED AT NEWPORT
By NISBETIN THE SEML-FIN1LS.

the Occasion the National Championship
VIII Go to England-As of Yore Larned's
Lack of Sand Was Fatal-rhe English
mans Play Bad, Americans Worse.
Newport, r. l., Aug. 29,-The biggest
surprise of the tennis tournament, and
in fact of the whole season, was the de-
feat to-day of William A. Larned, the
acknowledged leader of the game in
this country, by Hugh A. Nisbet OF
England in the semi-final round of the
all-comers tournament for the Nation
al championship. With the match well
! in hand by two sets to love, with the
| score five games to four in his favor in
| the third set, Larned was twice With
| in one point necessary for the match.
In both cases he drove into the net and
at last Nisbet took the necessary game
to make it five all. Again in this same
set Larned was within two points of
winning the match but could not quite
reach it. Such exasperating playing
was only repetition of the exhibition
| which he gave last year in his match
with Bob Wrenn in this same round of
the tournament, and it is this very un-
certainty that makes his game most
agonizing one to witness.
His repeated defeats of Nisbet, Eaves
and Mahony as wellas of Wrenn himself,
during the present summer In matches
where it seemed as if he had acquired
the necessary stamina to carry him
through to victory, gave his followers
great confidence in his ability to win
not only the all-comers' tournament this
year, but the championship itself. To-
night he must be considered as the
most brilliant tennis player in the coun-
try and at the same time the most un-
relia BILE.
This is the fourth year that his dash
has carried him through to the semi-final
round of the championship tournament,
only to be defeated by his lack of sand.
1t must be said, however, that Larned
displayed far more gameness at the
close of the match to-day than he has
ever shown before. 1t the last two sets
he pulled Nisbet's long lead down by
the pluckiest kind of work, but here
again he fell just short of winning.
1t was the bitterest kind of a match
to watch, with a most heart-rending
finish and tonight only Bob" Wrenn
stands between the two Englishmen
and the tennis championship of the
country. He has filled the breach be-
fore and there is every hope that he
will do so again.
The weather conditions to-day were
distinctly English, for misty north
easter blew over the courts previous
to the match, and made the turf slip
perry and uncertain. Both players fell
and Larned lost the deciding point in
the fourth set by sliding on the grass.
The sky was dull and gray throughout
but this did not deter big crowd from
attending the match.
| Before two sets had been played DIR.
Eaves had on another court defeated Leo
Ware of Boston, thereby slipping into
the final round of the tournament, where
he will meet Nisbet tomorrow
The first two sets of the big match
went to Larned with ridiculous ease
Nisbet seemed to be unable to get in
his drives Larned played fast and
handled Nisbet's cannon ball service
with ease. At the close it did not seem
possible for him to lose. The third set
was started with Larned serving and
after taking the first game and drop
ping the second, he won the next two
one of them after long deuce game.
Gradually Nisbet began to get In his
cross court drives and half volleys, but
Larned played steadily until the tenth
game. Here it was Nisbet's service
and Larned by a pretty pass and two
errors of the Englishman was within
one point of the game, set and match
Then he made a net and the score was
deuce. An out gave Nisbet vantage
but Larned made it deuce again and in
a moment he also had the vantage point
and was again within one point of the
match. An exasperating net ball rob
bed him of 1t and from then on his game
Ideteriorated
| Nisbet's game playing during the rest
of the set, which finally he finally won
was the finest yet seen in the tourna-
ment and his terrific service, his fine
volleys and all-round playing won him
unbounded applause.
1t was confidentaIly expected thai
Larned would take the next set, or al
least the fifth, but Nisbet still kept ur
his mighty service and fast drives while
the American made more and more er-
rors until at last in another of those net
balls the Englishman triumphed anG
the American went down in ignomin.
lious defeat. Both men played finely al
the net. but Larned excelIed Eacf
man covered the court in grand style
and here again Larned was the better
Fast driven balls were taken with ase
but Larned seemed to have the 1eas
difficulty. He lost in the end. witha
he played so brilliantly and therein lies
the agony.
Summary of the Match.
| First Set
Nisbet-4. 0, 4, ., 4, =, ., 1, total 81
games. 9.
Larned-1. 4. 0, 4. 2, 4, II, A. 4.-total "a
games, 6.
nent'S nets, 8; opponents outs. ); total 81
Larned scored on passes, il; opponent.
nets, 10; opponents outs. Il; opponent,
double fault, 1; total a.;
Second Set.
Nisbet-5, ), 8, 1, o. 4. 0, 2-total IS
Larned-8, ), 5, 4, 4, o. 4, 4-total %
games, +.
Nisbet passes. s: nets, ): outs. 5-totaI 13
Larned passes. IA; nets. s; outs, 6; doubl,
fault. /: total 20.
Third Set
Nisbet-4, 4. II. l. Z, 3. T. f. o. s. p l. 6
> 1. total 60 games, 8.
| I.arned-6 %. O. 1. ). :. f. . T. g. 4. . 4
f. >. total 63: games {.