The times., 1898-05-17

The tennis season Of 1898 opens today
Sith The playing Of the Southern cham
p.onship tournament at the courts Of the
Bachelors Club NJ Street, between Sew
enteenth Street and Connecticut Avenue
northwest. This tournament has always
been -ated as among the most important
meetings outside of those for the national
Championships and the annual struggle
between the Northern and Southern
cracks Is renewed here eac Spring This
year the battle promises 10 be more than
usually hot, for the Southerners are re-
ported 10 be I'm much better condition than
cae Northern players on account of the
late Spring.
J. c. Davidson. ". 2. Metcalf. ]. c.
GoodfelIow and \. c. Wilson are the fore
most Of the local players, and they have
made careful preparations this Spring 10
defend their honors i Is now three
years since a S0uIherler held the title,
Paret Of New York and DriscoH of Cali
foI-nia. winning il in 1895 and 1897 respec-
lively. OF locsI players Davidson Is un-
doub.edly the most formidable and he
Wi be the most dangerous candidate the
visitors viii have 10 dispose Of. Goodfel-
low is said 70 be playing well this year,
however. and he may prove to be dark
horse.
The Northerners who will try conclu-
sions with the home experts are J. =.
Paret, /. J. Grant and W. 9. Grant, Of
New York: Robert Beach, OF New Haven:
IL f. avery, of Detroit, and special ef-
forts have been made TO secure the pres
ence Of c. p. Dodge, Of Yale, and J. d.
Forbes. of Harvard. Paret is the strong
est of those from the North, although
Dodge or Forbes viii add an additional
element Of uncertainty II they play. Still
candidate he riria ~
Southern champion viii be Lieut.. w. a.
Bethel. who won the championship Of the
Northwest last Summer at Lake Mime
tonka. Bethel is a lieutenant in the Reg
ular Army, and is now in this city await
ing orders 10 go TO the front. Unless he
is ordered away suddenly he viii be
among the competitors this week
Following the Southern championship
viii come the New England champion
ship next week at New Haven; then
comes the New Jersey championship, at
Orange. during the week of June >: the
metropolitan championship. at the West
Side Tennis Club, in New York, scheduled
for June y, and the Middle States cham
piOnship, at Orange, July 4 and following
days. The New York State championship
VIII be revived ct Syracuse this year dur
4ng the week OF July IS, while the Long
wood tournament has been set down for
July ., and the national championships
the great derby of the American tennis
world-will be held, as usual, at the New
port Casino during the week of August ls.
Plans for International Tennis.
Many contradictory rumors have been
going the rounds of the tennis lovers this
Spring, and even the newspaper have
had occasional reports to the effect that
this would be a great year for interna-
tional tennis Even yet the plans for the
season are unsettled, and nothing regard
ing the international plans can be an
nounced with authority. II is now an
open secret, however, that the officials OF
the National Lawn Tennis Association,
rs well as the officers of several of the
clubs whose tournaments have been
scheduled have been in correspondence for
some time with Drs. PIN and F. O.