Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-08-15
National Championship Tourney
Begins at Newport.
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Bright weather and considerable enthu-
siasm. although the attendance was not
very heavy favored the first days play IN
the national championship lawn tennis
tournament, which opened at the Newport
Casino yesterday. The entry list promises
that this will be the greatest tournament
held in many years. for all of the crack
players are entered, but the draw did not
bring together in the first rounds many
of the leading cracks. In consequence lew
of the cracks had strong opponents. and SO
there was not much interest shown In the
singles.
The principal interest of the day was
centered In the final round of the champion
ship doubles, which furnished a genuine
surprise in the defeat Of Hackett and Allen,
the Yale pair which won the eastern CHAM
pionship in doubles, by Little and Alex
ander of Princeton. who won the western
doubles championship in chicago last
month. Before the play began the ale PAIR
were thought to be sure winners by those
who study expert play the closest, and
In the first set it seemed as though TINS
estimate were about right. for Little and
Alexander did not get set.
After that both of the Princetonians i'm
proved their play so much that they more
than held their own with the wearers OF
the blue. 1t was Allen who caused most of
the errors for his side, although Hackett.
too, lacked his usual ability to smash the
ball out of his opponents reach. Little
smashed well, and Alexander, after the
first set, showed wonderful speed and ac-
-curacy with his terrific ground drives that
went crashing down between the adver-
saries. The second was close from the
start, but the Princetonians finally pulled
IL out by Ga, and in the third again fin
ished ahead at Is. They also had a lead
at 81 in the fourth. and then needed only
one game for the match, but the Yale pair
pulled out of this hole, and finally took the
set at IS. tying the score of the match at
two sets ALL In the fifth, however, instead OF
winning, as they were expected to do the
eastern champions played very raggedly,
and went to pieces so badly that Little and
Alexander had little difficulty in winning
the set by g.
No less than ten men defaulted in the
preliminary round of the singles, and many
of the stronger players had no antagonists
in consequence Larned. Wright, Davis and
Ware all had easy victories. but both of
the New Workers, Paret and Fischer, had
their hands full, with western experts OPP
posed to them. Fischer drew Waidner Of
Chicago and lost the first set to him. After
a rather close finish in the second set he
pulled out the match by 3 to 1. Paret did not
fare so well. He caught a Tartar in Krsigh
Collins, the western champion. from Chi
cago, and they had a battle royal for sew
eral hours on the court in front of the
Casino Theater.
The New Yorker captured the first, after
leading up to So. but could not hold It,
and the Chicagoan ran out the set at Is.
In the last Collins got of with a lead of
20. and then had the advantage at %
but Paret kept steadily at his work and
finally overlook his adversary at sail AL
though repeatedly within a point of each of
the next two games, he finally lost both
and with them the set by 7-5 again, and
the match, three sets to one.