Evening star., 1915-03-23
GAME HELPED BY FEAT
OF NORWEGIAN WOMAN
Winning Of American Indoor Tennis
Title by Miss Bjurstedt to
Benefit Sport.

NEW YORK, March 2S.-The success
Of Miss Molla Bjurstedt, the Norwegian
champion. in winning the American in
door championship last week at the
Seventh Regiment Armory should prove
a distinct benefit to the women's side
of the game this season. Miss Blur
stedt, who has held the championship
of Norway for eleven years, has come
for quite a stay and she is planning to
take part in the most important tour
naments over here, including the ma
tional championship at Philadelphia in
June New blood is badly needed among
the woman players and her entry into
the field will be welcome. The Chris
tlania woman showed several points OF
olsunct superiority in the finals over
MISS Marie Wagner. last years cham
plon. and it is thought she will be able
to repeat her victory when the spring
season opens outdoors. on dirt courts
anyway, if not on grass.
II is doubtful yet what Miss Blur
stedt will be able to accomplish on
grass, for they do not have grass courts
IN Norway and she has had little or no
experience on turf. The bound of the
pan is noticeably different from dirt
man from grass, and still more SO from
little Norwegian showed last week in
dicated that she ought not to have any
great dlfnculty in getting the range
1or grass court play before the cham
plohssip n GATE comes around in June.
ana II she does take to it kindly she
VIII nave to be reckoned with as one
OF the dangerous contenders.
Has Refreshing Enthusiasm.
Miss Bjurstedt shows an enthusiasm
that is refreshing. She is as keen on
the game as young girl of nineteen,
ana she seems to be in excellent physi-
cal condition. Against Miss Wagner
"hlle she lacked perhaps her speed In
the ground strokes, she was steadier
at an times, kept the ball low down
and deep, and she never seemed to lack
confidence. although it was her first
experience in a strange land. The Nor
Wesian does not lean much toward the
Volieylng game, but she did not fail
TO take advantage of such openings at
the net as were presented, and seldom
1aiied to Kill when she had the chance.
ABOVE everything else she made won
derIully rev errors. and after all that
game.
1t must be kept in mind that Miss
wagner Is one Of the most experienced
woman players we have in the east,
and she was dangerous contender for
the last national championship, She
was officially rated as the third player
in America last season, with only two
western women above her. With Miss
Wagner, as the best player in the
east, and Miss Mary Browne, the cham
pion away off in California, Miss
Bjurstedt may find the eastern tourna-
ments an easy field for her.
Over here we have long known Of the
skill of the English woman players,
which averages far above thet OF their
American sisters, and two or three Of
the continental women. notably Mile.
Mason of Paris, who is now at the
front with the French Red Cross war
nurses. were known to have shown
high skill. However, 1t came as a. dis
tinct surprise that any of the Scandi-
navian players had any such ability as
shown by Miss Bjurstedt. Among the
Swedish and Norwegian man players,
none has developed who were consid-
cred dangerous. and every time they
venture out of their own country they
have been beaten almost invariably.
In the Stockholm tournaments that
were open to outsiders English play
ers have generally swept the boards