The San Francisco call., 1909-09-05
Tennis Cracks
Will Play for
Coast HOnOrs
Tournament for Championship
i'm Singles Will Start To-
morrow at Del Monte

The, twenty-second annual tourna-
ment for the championship of the Pa
cific states in singles. for both men and
women, will commence on the courts at
Del Monte tomorrow. The meet will ex-
tend from the 9th to the 18th, and be-
side the championship events In singles
the annual mixed doubles and women's
doubles will be held, and also some
junior singles and doubles. The cham
pionsbip doubles for men was held at
Long Beach early in July. A doubles
tournament will be held at Del Monte,
but no title will go with ii.
When the announcement was made
10 days ago that the California players
then in the east would, with the excep-
ton of George James. stop over to wit
ness the matches between the English
and American teams, and therefore be
out of the Del Monte event it was ex-
pected the coast championship event
was doomed TO be a frost. In the last
few days, however, a number of former
champions have signifed their inten-
tion of participating in the coast cham
pionship singles, and the Del Monte
meet should not prove entirely lacking
in class.
OF course the absence of Long and
Mclaughlin will be a bitter disappoint-
ment to the local enthusiasts, but they
cheered up considerably when they
learned that A. e. Bell, l.. r. Freeman,
Percy Murdock. Reuben Hunt. Joe
Tyler and Schwengers would partici-
pate. Bell and Freeman are both for
mer champions in singles, while
Murdoch and Hunt have long been
identified with the game in Alameda
county. Tyler and Schwengers are from
the northwest, and are about the clev-
crest players in that section of the
country.
Bell and Freeman have seen their
best days, but at that are capable of
playing good tennis. Freeman was
playing in his old time form at Long
Beach in July, but went in swimming
while the tournament was in progress
and threw his shoulder out. If Free
man should play the game he did in
1902 there would be nothing to 1t. He
cleaned up the coast from top to bot
tom that year and was grand player.
In fact, at his best he could probably
give Long and Mclaughlin busy time.
Freeman is troubled with a bad heart
and a shoulder which he has dislocated
a number of times.
Bell was coast champion in 1908, but
was out Of the game for several years
and has never come back. He looked
tournament, but after playing one brill
liant match got back into the old rut.
Bell and Freeman can still put up a
stiff game in doubles and will be the
team to beat
Percy Murdoch, although never a
coast champion, has been in the first
fight for years. He is said to be
showing great form of late, and If he
is at his best he ought to come pretty
close to annexing the title. Murdock
has been after the big title for over 10
years, but has always been up against
players like the HardyS, Whitneys,
MacGavin and Long. 1t is expected
the class of players in this years
championship event will be the poorest
in the history of the game here. Muir
dock looks to have a grand chance to
top off his long career and he certainly
would prove popular champion.
Hunt, who several years ago won a
number of minor titles in the east, will
not play in the singles. He Will play