New-York tribune., 1912-08-12
COMMENT ON SPORTS
National Lawn Tennis Titles
Likely to Change Hands.
JAKE STAHL THE MANAGER
News and Views on Live Topics
of the Day, Both Amateur
and Professional.

VI VIC 0dJS oNNo
and Professional.
With the national championship lawn
tennis tournament only one week away
Indications point 10 the title in both sin
giles and doubles changing hands. VIII
lam 4. Larned the seven times Doloel ol
the singles championship. may play a''''
testing ont his game in the southampton
tournament this week. hut even II ne
does the chances Of his winning are less
favorable than in recent years, because
~ the fact that under the new rule INC
champion must play through the tour
uament instead of standing out for the
challenge round as heretofore. In my op,h'
ion the national association took Tor
ward step in making this change ias'
winter. II is almost sure to add interest,"
in the progress Of the tournament ana
encourage the younger school OF players
In al the years that the championship
has been decided on the picturesque
courts Of the Casino, at Newport Inc
challenger has been successful against
the defending champion on only seven
occasions. I'm some cases the challehs'r
lacked the finish and class Of the uefehu-
ing champion but in others the p'a!lns
through a long and gruelling tournament
was too much Of a handicap IN meeting
a fresh player.
Iarned has had little or no preparation
so far this year for test that not OIL!
demands hours Of practice but a cer'di''
amount of tournament play. his ao-
sence. Of course. will be cause Tor re-
gret He stands out to-day as the leader
n American lawn tennis and couio wen
afford to retire before suffering the lneN-
table defeat which comes 10 all cham-
MONS He has been and Is a hnisheo
PLAYER Others. perhaps, are more spec
tacular and brilliant, but Larned Is
lawn tennis genius. with the striking
ability TO anticipate his opponents ana the
skin tn meet them at whatever game tneE
etternpt TO use. whether at the net or IN
hack court. He has enjoyed the happy
faculty of being able 10 diagnose almost
al a glance the weakness of an opponent
and rarely fails TO take full advantage
T.arned has done much for lawn tennis In
this country. and If he fails 10 play at
Nevport the tournament will lose much
Of its tang.
Maurice Z. Mclaughlin, the Young and
brilliant player from California, appears
at this writing 20 be the one most likely u
succeed 10 the crown worn by such mas
ters of the courts as Larned, Bob Wrenn'
Malcolm Whitman and Ollie Campbell
Here in the East there are many capaoie
players but the performances THIS year
on the whole have been in and out ana II
is hard to pick out man VINO Is CONSIST
ont enough 70 earn the highest honors OIL
The wear. Gustave F. Touchard has mate
rally fallen of in his play. Dean Mathey'
the Princeton champion, took his meas
IRE in the metropolitan champinosml
and Nat Niles defeated him at LongWoou
Karl Behr appears 70 have flashed lntC
his old form again, as his striking victor!
over r Norris Williams, the new holder
Of the national clay court title. indlcateu
RAYMOND D. Little's best performance
Was i'm the metropolitan, in when ne
captured the title after two or three mar
row soueaks Nat Niles and Walter Mer'
riu Hall will unquestionably be factors
I'm deciding the all-comers along VIII
such men as William ]. Clothier and W al
lace F. Johnson. OF this number, how
ever only Behr. Williams and Little
strike me as possible fnalists
Turning toward the Pacific Coast, whicf
for three seasons has been the foreInos
contender for the national honors, Mau
rice E. Mclaughlin stands boldly forth a.
more likely than any other to win Cios'
beside him stands Thomas c. Bundy, ah'
while the two have not competed 10 an!
extent in the Eastern tournaments, VIVA
they have done is decidedly Impressive
McLoughlin made hurried TRIP Las
which resulted in his capturing the Long
wood challenge cup. one OF the famou
and historic trophies of the courts. n
defeated Edward j. Larned in the chal
lcry. match in easy fashion, and broK
tb, ipetual holding which the Larne'
family Stems 10 have on the cup. Thei
the versatile Mclaughlin hurried back t
Chicago, where he waded through IN
Western championship 10 meet and de
feat Bundy In q stirring match for tn
title. II may be that the dynamic youti
from San Francisco may overdo thing
and fall stale when he reaches Newport
but I do not fancy that he will, for n
has abundant physical resources whicl
will stand the test Bundy's game de
pends much upon hard and fast courts
He is a marvellous general, and while n
was bit off last season, and failed to d'
himself Justice, this may be his year an'
McIoughln may bow TO him. Altogether
II appears likely that the championship
will take trip across the country
the end of the tournament.
In view of the fact that Touchard doe
not appear TO be playing at the top of hi
game this year. / will be surprised II ~
and Raymond d. Little, the national cham
pions In doubles. do not lose their it'll
at Newport in the challenge match L
Mclaughlin and Bundy. who earned tn
right 10 challenge in the preliminar'
matches at Chicago ten days ago in sucl
a convincing way. They have youth an
rare stamina on their side, and 80 far
l can see, equal skill with the champions
II should be a wonderful match, but Will
the chances In favor of the younger play
eTs
There is a reason beyond clever p'tch
ing fast feldin2 and hard hitting VIII