New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-25
Tournament for Metro.
politan Title on May 10
First Big One of Year. !
STARS OF THE EAST
PLANNING TO PLAY,
Miss Bjurstedt Indoor Champion.
Likely to Add to Her Lawn
Tennis Name and Fame.
BY FRED HAWTHORNE.

will begin on the clay courts Of TIA
West Side Tennis Club, az Fores. Hill,
on May 10.
Mrs. E. W. Raymond is the pre,.n,
title holder In the singles, and II az.
lives up 10 her game Of last year (.
will take strong player 70 dethrons
her from the championship. But tbers
will be many formidable contenders for
the chief honors this year, not the leas.
Of whom is Miss Molla Bjurstedt. The
Norwegian champion, who added tho
national indoor title % her record las.
March by defeating Miss Marie Wagner
in the final round.
Many profess 10 see in Miss Blur.
stedt the coming national champion
Miss Mary Browne, the California girl
who at present holds that title, out.
classes all the other native born plav.
ers, as she has proved on more than
one occasion.
But the brilliant manner in which
the Norwegian champion disposed o.
Miss Marie Wagner. regarded az the
strongest woman player in the Eas..
seems sufficient justification for con.
sidering Miss Bjurstedt as one well
qualified TO test the proves Of the girl
from the Coast
In this country only few days when
the indoor championship tournament,
began, on March 10. Miss Bjurstedt On.
tered the tourney on the impulse OF the
moment. Her play throughou. was A
revelation TO the spectators and all her
ma .ches were won by decisive margins.
The foreigner is gifted with a Won.
derful physique and unusual endurance,
and these natural advantages were
large factors in her march % the cham.
pionship. She puts tremendous pace
into her strokes, and taking the ball
on the rise, shoots II across the ne,
with such bewildering speed as 20 catch
her opponent frequently OUT Of posi-.
ton.
Added TO this she has rare ability 70
cover court with the agility Of man
and TO play just as hard and fast a,
the end of hard match as At the be-
ginning. IL can be seen that Miss
Bjurstedt is competent 20 pit her skill
against the best
The only feature Of her game tina,
is not up to the standard of some o.
the ranking women players Of the coun.
try IS the service. She does not get
the sting" into either her first or sec.
ond ball that distinguishes the service,
for example, Of Miss Clare Casse, who
serves with the power and speed Of
ranking player in the mems division.
Whether Miss Bjurstedt can scou.
herself as well out of doors as on the
fast playing surface of the amory
courts is still a matter OF conjecture,
although the young woman has been
tuning up her game down az Forest
Hills in preparation for the coming
tournament.
Miss Wagner, of course, will be a
contender for the metropolitan cham
pionship, end will be one Of the favor
ties in the big field. In justice 20 this
brilliant player il should be said tina,
her game was not a. its topmost
height when she succumbed 20 Mss
Bjurstedt last month.
Miss Cassel, whose play during the
last few years has entitled her 10 q
ranking among the first ten women
players of this country, will ID al
probability be another entrant, and
when at her best there are few, { any,
women in the East who can take her
measure on the courts.
Mrs. Marshall Mclean. former ma
tional title holder, II she elects 20 COM
pete in the singles. will prove worthy
opponent for any woman player m the
country Nersed in every rick OF the
game, a matchless court general, she IS
never vanquished until the last point
has been called. and is noted for her
ability 70 pull a match out Of the IRE.
Miss Elizabeth Bunce. a former Hud-
son River champion; Miss Edna Wilc-
ey, the New Jersey star; Mrs Spencer
F. Weaver, national indoor doubles
champion with Mrs. Mclean; Mrs. Raw
son Wood, Mrs Frederick Schmltl,
Mrs. John Jacob Aston, Miss Ethel
Weber and Miss Marion Nanderhoei
are others who will probably enter Tor
the championship.
Now that Maurice f. Mclaughlin, The
former national champion and hero o.
the last Davis Cup matches, has given
assurance that he will enter the ma
tional championship tournament at the
West Side Tennis Club In September
unless unforeseen circumstances pre-
vent, Julian S. Myrick, president IS
happy man.
Myrick, who is giving generously OF
all his spare time IN attending 70 the
myriad details connected with the hold
ing of the tournament, felt that ne
national championship would not De
quite 100 per cent pure gold unless the
wonderful Californian vas on the
courts.
Richard Norris Williams. "a, who
won the title from Mclaughlin az New
port last year by a marvellous display
of lawn tennis, will, OF course De o.,
hand to defend his high honors' ana
should the man from the East ana the
man from the West come through 70
the final round again the resulting ps.'
tie should be classic OF the courts;
Certainly no two players IN the %oI,1
are better calculated to furnish ,hf.'"
in their specially than DICK ana MIG
Robert Lindley Murray. who Haug
his debut in the East last summer g.
went back 20 his home in Pslo Az
Cal, with the Metropolitan, Ne" hns
land, Southampton, Sleepy Hollow 81.
other tournament titles packed ID M
suitcase and ranked as No. 4 among a.
the hundreds of players IN tnls D'''
land. is not so fortunate. ia,
Murray, just cut OF his teens anu
the threshold of career or me Gu.
that holds almost unbounded pto,
Use. ia a leyel-hcad'd young man, 49,.
though he loves the game with a" -
enthusiasm of youth, he realizes in@ ~
his business career means more 10 n' ~
in the end, and so he has, decided
stick close to his new job a. el.s,
chemist and resistant super'n',,. nGl.
in bi. sugar refinery q tae "0'D''
West.