The San Francisco call., 1907-06-16
ennis Fans Auaiting
| tournaments for
State Titles

The next championship tennis tour
nament will be commenced on the
Golden Gate park courts on Saturday
1t will be the sixth annual scratch sim
giles event for the. championship of
California. This is the first time one
of the big events has been scheduled
to be played on the public courts of
this city. Last year the tournament
was played on the California club
courts. Previous to that it had always
contested in the Hotel Rafael courts at
San Rafael.
Whether or not the event to be held
at the park will be as much OF sue
cess as its predecessors conducted else
where remains to be seen. This is the
first time play has oeen confined to
Saturdays. The tournaments will be
played June 22 and 20 and the finals
July 8. The championship matches.
as usual, are set for July 4.
That there will be record breaking
crowd in attendance when the cham
pionship matches are played there is no
doubt -Frequenters of the park are
with championship. involved Lack Of
accommodations at the park is causing
more concern than anything else It
behooves the members of the Golden
Gate club to see that the contestants
are afforded the best possible facilities
committee to have the women play in
the morning and the men in the after
noon. This plan is a good one. as
many of the men could not get off in
the morning on Saturday. and agair
the spectators go principally to see
the men play.
The class this year should be up to
the standard of the past few years. The
more prominent players will be Percy
Murdock. Maurice Mclaughlin. Mel
vile Long. George James Carl Gard
ner, Fred Adams. Charles Foley and
possibly Reuben Hunt The chances
of the first named two are considered
the best OF the two championship
tournaments held this year each has
won one. Murdock won the Alameda
county event and Mclaughlin holds the
San Francisco county title
Coast Champion Melville Long is
hardly formidable as he was year
ago, but is at all times dangerous. He
has had comparatively little practice
in the past year, which accounts for his
Indifferent showing in recent events.
Foley is another topnotcher who is
not playing the game as well as he
used to. When he relinquished his
title to the San Francisco champion
ship to Mclaughlin recently he hardly
played with the dash that had charac-
terized his game of a year ago. At
times he shows as great cleverness as
James is probably the hardest man of
the lot to figure on. At times, when
he displays his best form, he seems in
vincible. On other occasions he has
poor control of his speed and falls an
easy victim to rival experts.
Gardner is another player who can
not be depended upon. In the San
Francisco championship tournament he
came within an ace of defeating Nc
Loughlin. Previous to that time he
had cut little OF no figure in tourna-
ment play. He has always been one of
the best in practice, but does not do
himself Justice. in a tournament.
The present champions are Herbert
Long and Miss Hazel Hotchkiss The
fans are about as sure the former will
lose his title as they are that the latter |
will retain hers. Long is not playing
as well as in the past, que to lack of |
practice. 1t is hardly likely that he
could equal the game played by Nc
Lough1in, even when at his best
Miss Hotchkiss. although closely |
pressed by a couple of the other young
lady players. has sufficient superiorityJ
over them to insure success when she |
defends. She had most strenuous
time beating Miss Coda Myer last year |
and the young lady from the park
probably will be her most dangerous
opponent again this year.