New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-16
avn Tennis Crown to Go
10 One of Three, but
Which One?
NEW YORK PLAYER
At TOP OF HIS FORM
go. nofeat of California Comet
Puts Him in Champion
ship Glass.
~ FRED HAWTHORNE.

-,s-s. 81 the great testing tourna-
- ,bst will 50 far toward giving
hind OF an idea as to the likely
'','e -s,rs for the national lawn ten
.A,npionship at the West Side
~ clab. az Forest Hills, begin
49,. Angus, so, was finished at Sea
,-rht on Saturday. ,
-. results on the splendid turf
-. g. tile SeabriGht Lawn Tennis
c-.ckst Club, instead OF clearing
.;.yatior. appeared TO have be-
- the issue. and just at the mo-
-, nobody can positively lay his
-. ., ,he champion for 1918 al
-, % the writer it would seem
~, Richard Norris Williams. I'd. the
cent champion. has slight edge
:. Maurice Mclaughlin and Karl ii.
r.hr his most serious rivals.
y,Ioughl.n came to Seabright fresh
,..r MS victory over Williams at
,.,-uood the week before. In the
s,d round, however. the great Cali
,.-,isn was crushed Dy the power Of
s.,r', onslaught, in one Of the most
,,.,,aeular matches ever played on
,-.r;esr courts. Just when Behr
,.,.sd 70 rave g clear road to pre-
,-,Bepee he went down before the
,-s,irc skill Of Williams IN the email
'snge round mn.
80 the coroueror % the man who
IA bea.e. him only q week previous
T. Behr defeated the man VINO mad
r,,ouished Williams. and yet Nc
.o1ebl.n has won an overwhelming ma
',---v % his matches with the ma
tonal tide holder The Californian
,55 Bebr had met only once before
,ss match a. Seabright. and on that
,eeas,on Mclaughlin defeated ms Last
en- rival. ,..
Perhaps the tournament beginning
on The Newpor. Casino courts TINS al
tsrnoon. and the one at the Mesdo"
Club. OF Southampton, next Monday
v.l help 20 clarity the atmosphere al
.to1cb IL Is SAID Behr will not com
,e,s ~ either, because Of press OF
.ys,ness. Williams and Mclaughlin
t0lIt come pretty close TO setting
ne doubts as 10 their relative stand
~. however. and the playing Of the
Big Three at Forest Hills viii prc D.
sb.y s.... further furnish guide 10
.s,e v.ya tr.r1s rroblern
The Seabright tourney served TO
zake one thing evident, and that IS
that the New Jersey turf courts on the
Rumson Road are the equal, II not the
,1perior. Of any in the world. Almost
ne first thing the ranking players re-
narked when they stepped on the
ss.erd!d turf was the almost perfect
condition Of the playing surface. Nc
LOughln and Williams, both OF whom
have appeared on the courts at WlmD!e-
con and in Australia, as well as those
81 Newport, LongwOOd and other great
avn tennis centres, were enthuslastlc
10 their praise Of the Seabrlght turf,
sld they simply echoed the sentiment
o. the other players.
Bernon $. Prentice, chairman Of the
tournament committee, as well as
George Carpenter. secretary Of the
club, and J. {. Hoagland, the treasurer,
octupy a large part Of their spare time
each season In grooming and perfect
ing the grass, which has been gaining
u excellence every year since 1t was
aid down. in the late '70s, when Rich
sTd Stevens and others whose names
aye famous in American lawn tennis
snhals were moving spirits in the
founding Of the Seabright Lawn Ten
tis and Cricket Club.
There are twenty-four of these su-
perlatiye turf courts, with ample lee
way al ends and sides, and each court
is as fine as its neighbor. In addition
10 these natural advantages, the com
n,,tee az Seabright conducted last
weeks tournament IN a manner that
nigh; well be copied by other clubs
.ere in the East. There was not a
single incident TO mar the week Of play,
md all the invited players left with
he feeling that everything possible had
been done for their comfort and con-
,enlcncp