The San Francisco call., 1908-11-01
Tennis Champion Will
Defend His Title
Season Comes to End This Aft.
ernOOn With Challenge
Match i'm Park
By Grant Smith

The championship season for 1908 in
the local tennis world will come to a
close with the playing of the challenge
match of the bay counties singles
tournament on the Golden Gate park
courts this afternoon. Melville Longs
winner of the tournament will oppose
Maurice Mclaughlin, the present holder
of the title.
If the weather is favorable there
will be record crowd in attendance.
These two players are easily the best
on the coast, and. although they have
met number of times during the
year the question of supremacy is
still an open one in the minds of
many. Long, by virtue of his victory
In the coast championship event, where
they met last, has the prestige that
attends success in the most recent
TO believe that Mclaughlin, who lost
by a very narrow margin, can do bet
ter than he did at Del Monte in Sep
tember.
The present season has been an ex-
change of titles between Long and
Mclaughlin. They have met three times
In challenge matches for champion
ship titles and Mclaughlin has been
successful twice. Winning the odd
victory might make it look as if Nc
Loughlin were entitled to first place
in the season, while Long won the
most important title, that of coast
champion, almost at the close of the
season, and therefore is entitled to
EXPERTS EVENLY MATCHED
In the San Francisco championship
tournament, in which Long was the
challenger. Mclaughlin retained his
title. winning the match after losing
the first two sets. In the state cham
plonshlp tournament in July Nc
Loughlin won the tournament and took
three straight sets from Long in the
challenge match. Two weeks later. in
class singles event at the California
I.0n
McLoughlin In September Long won
the coast tournament. in which several
cracks from the east contested. and
IN III tne chalienge match won a sensa-
match going five sets. In the chal-
1enge match for the coast singles in
1907. which was played a little over
ment.
The foregoing will show how evenly
matcned these two experts are and
also the Importance of today's meet
ing. A cleancut victory for either one
IN the last championship event of the
season would mean much to either one.
WILL TITLE CHANGE HANDS.
Win or lose. Long will still be ranked
no. / on the coast by virtue of his
having won the coast championshin
However, a victory today would en-
trench him more strongly in that posi-
ton and leave no doubt as to his slI-
premacy. While Mclaughlin has. lost
his place at the top, so far as officiai
ngures go, decisive victory TO-DAY
Will give him that position in the un-
of1cial minds of the fans.
The bay counties singles event was
lnaugurated In 1904 and was won by
Drummond MacGavin. The latter de-.
faulted in 1905 and the title went to
Gharies Foley. the tournament winner.
In the following year George James
won the tournament and beat Foley in
the challenge match. Last wear lanes
was beaten in the challenge match by
maurice McLoughlin. the present holder
title again change hands, or will Mo
Loughlin prove the first to retain -
more than one year? The question
VIII be answered this afternoon. The
match will commence at 2:30