The San Francisco call., 1905-05-27

TENNIS HONORS
ARE At STAKE

The fifth annual tennis tournament
for the championship of San Francisco
will be started tomorrow on the Cali
fornia Club courts. Heretofore the
event has commenced on Decoration
day and has been completed soon
thereafter as possible. The new plan
is an improvement, as 1T will insure
some good matches for the 30th, when
the final rounds Will be played. AS
much of the event as possible will be
played tomorrow with the hopes of
completing the finals and challenge
match On Tuesday.
Percy Murdock of Alameda is the
present champion and will defend on
Tuesday. He has had but little prac-
tice of lsIe, but is expected to score
his second victory for the cup. The
trophy to be competed for is the Joseph
D. Grant cup, donated two years ago.
j. d. MacGavin was the first man to
have his name inscribed on the cup and
the first champion to stand out. He
was beaten last year by Murdock in the
challenge match.
George Whitney was the first cham
pion. Grant Smith succeeded Whitney,
but in 1903 was beaten by Norman
Hodgkinson in the semi finals. Hodg-
kinson in turn lost to MacGavin in the
finals. The Hodgkinson-Smith match
was one of the most stubbornly con-
tested in tournament of this kind. In
the final set Hodgkinson led out 5-2
and 400, but Smith made a great squirt
and pulled the score up to 6-5 in his
favor. Hodgkinson won the next three
games and set.
The tournament this year will possess
less class than any event of the kind
in the past. There will be no players
like Whitney, Smith. MacGavin and
Hodgkinson in the list. There will,
however, be a number of clever young
players in the competition, which
should bring out some excellent tennis.
There are undoubtedly more players
evenly matched than in the past. Here
tofore two or possibly three players
have had the tournament between
them. This year the following players
are given almost an equal chance to
win: George Baker, Carl Gardner, Her.
bert Schmidt, Harry Rolfe. Herbert
Long and Clarence Foley.
OF these George Baker is probably
the best A majority pick him to win
the tournament and his eliminates from
the park expect to see him wrest the
championship from Murdock. The pub
lie court players are anxious to annex
the championship, which has never
ldllen 10 one Oh Inelr number. Last
year Baker disappointed his admirers
by losing to Herbert Schmidt early in
the tournament. 1t has been claimed
since that Baker was off In his game.
and the fact that he failed to make a
showing even proves this contention
George James, probably the Califor-
MIA Clubs strongest player, will not
compete. He has overdone it of late
and rest of at least a month has
been ordered by his physician. or the
cracks entered Gardner looks to have
the best chance to beat Baker. He has
improved considerably of late and is
playing good game at present.
Schmidt is the most uncertain player
of the lot If he plays as he did against
Baker last year he would undoubtedly
have a chance to land first honors.
Rolfe is steady player, but few con-
cede him much chance to win. Long
is like Schmidt. At times in practice
he is world beater. but in tourna-
ments he seldom does himself Justice
The following players have already
affixed their signatures to the entry
list, which closes this afternoon: Har-
old Gabriel, Herbert Long, Alexander
Beyfuss. Melville Long. Carl Gardner
DR.. Bush, Herbert Schmidt. Harry
Routh, Albert Kenyon, George Baker,
Clarence Foley, F. c. Adams, James
Code, B. +. Nourse, w. G. Knowlton,
Harry Rolfe, Charles Kuehn G. H.
Busch and e. p. Finnegan.
The Ladies' Annex will hold handi-
cap singles tournament for the Van