The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-08-29
CLOTH|ER WINS
CHAMPIONSHIP
FROM WRIGHT

william L. Clothier of Philadelphia
won the national lawn tennis cham
pionship today by defeating the title
holder Beals c. Wright OF Boston in
the challenge match in straight sets.
6-S, 60, Cd.
The fine weather that has favored the
National lawn tennis championships at
Newport this year continued today. when
the challenge round was played between
Beals c. Wright OF Boston. the present
title holder. and William j. Clothier Of
Philadelphia who yesterday won the all
comers tournament
1t was wrights first defense of the
challenge cup as well as the first time
Clothier has reached the challenge round
in the National tournament.
Both have been intimate friends for
many years and are veterans on the ten
mis- courts. They met last year in the
finals of the all-comers tournament
Wright winning easily and defeating Hol-
combe Ward OF Orange, N. j., for the
championship.
Had Wright not sustained an injury to
his right hand last spring he would have
began today. Whether he had succeeded
I'm getting back into the form which he
had reached before the injury, was the
question that puzzled close followers OF
the game
There was also to be considered the ease
with which Clothier won the five matches
of the presnt tournament, which gave
him the right of challenge. Nearly all mis-
contests were straight set affairs and but
few went more than nine or ten games a
set
1t was the strength ne had thus shown
and the absence of fatiguing matches
among those he has played during the
past week that made the result OF the
match today open to some doubt. The
event proved so attractive that one of
the largest crowds in years thronged to
| the Casino this morning.
The players came on the court at
about IL o'clock. with a crowd Of over
thousand people surrounding the
rectangle The sky was slightly over
cast; but the air was cool and there
| was no wind.
Clothier had the service and ran out
! the first game without Wright getting
/ a point Wright won the first three
! points OF the second game, and then
! Clothier jumped in, deucing the game
and finally winning II and also the
next, another deuce affair, giving him
| the lead, three to love.
Wright then speeded up and took
! three games in succession. squaring the
/ match. Each man ran I'm on his ser
/ vice, but Wright had difficulty in pass
! Ing Clothier at the net, because Of the
! latter's longer reach. Clothier won the
next three games and took the set c. 3.
/ The points Of the first set were:
Clothier . 4-32--6
| Wright ....... 0 3 3 4 4 ! 2 2--2S-3
- Clothier won the second set without
| giving Wright a game. Wright let sew
eral balls go by him, thinking they
were outside; but they all dropped just
! inside the boundary. When heattempt-
/ ed to lob. his balls were short and
/ Clothier had no difficulty in killing
| them. On the other hand, Wright was
unable to pass Clothier at the net aud
| in addition had poor control over his
shots
/ Wrlght's condition and play we're sur
/ prisingly weak throughout the first two
/ sets He made the best stand OF this set
/ In the third game on his own service,
| Clothier getting IT, however, after II had
been deuced twice, on pass and an er,
ror by Wright. The points OF the second
| set were:
Glqthisr W2ifSf ..'."...",,ts ! I Egs-S tE-is-S
| Clothier played a "get-there' game in
/ match and championship, GA. His
/ strokes were executed with snap and
| precision and his good playing at the
4 net continued.
Wright lObbed frequently to dislodge
/ his opponent from his strategic place AT
/ the net: but Clothier was always back in
! time In the tenth game Wright twice
/ was within a point of the game ana
/ deucing the set; but errors cost him the
set match and championship honors
/ which have been his for two years The
| points OF the third set were:
W2iFbi Tl2tieier g 9IsS st So
Challenge match. national champion
shin singles william ]. Clothier Of
Philadelphia defeated Beals c. Wright or
Dnston ga 60. Ga