Omaha daily bee., 1916-06-20
JAP TENNIS TEAM
is TO PLAY IN U. s.
cracks Of Well Known Repute to
Try Conclusions on This
Side.
TO PLAY ACROSS COUNTRY

For the first time in the history oi
international lawn tennis. the far east
will make bid for premier honors
this autumn when the Japanese rae.
quet stars, K. Kumagai and H
Mikanli, appear in the American
championship tournament at Forrest
Hills, l.. l., late in August These two
leading tennis players of the Orient
are already on their way to this coun.
try for three months campaign on
the United States courts and their in.
vasion will be awaited with great in
terest by all followers of tennis, since
their records indicate that both play
game which ranks them with the
leading tennis experts of this country
While the complete itinerary of the
Japanese players will not be known
until they reach the Pacific coast, it is
certain that they will proceed east
-sward by easy stages, playing at the
leading clubs in exhibition and tourna-
ment matches as the occasion offers.
San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago
and Pittsburgh and New York will
be given an opportunity to see the
Japenese in action on the courts be-
fore the national championships and
after the titular tournament, Kumagai
and Mikami return 10 the Pacific
coast by another route, playing oc-
casional matches prior to embarking
for Japan.
Loses Tough Match.
Apparently this will be the only in
vasion of foreign athletes during the
coming season and because of the
prominence and ability of the Ja-
panese, should attract far more than
usual attention to the leading court
tournaments of the summer since both
kumagai and Mikami have several
times demonstrated their ability to
hold their own across the net with the
ranking players of the United States.
As far back as 1918 Kumagai, then a
student at keio university, appeared
at the far eastern championships and
fought his way to the semi-finals
where he was defeated by Ella Fot-
trell, rs, As, ga, 49, "a, in a match
which was carried over into the sec
ond day. Later with a partner he
lost to Fottrell and William Johnston,
present American champion, in a dou-
Bile match by scores of 6-2, ga, 81.
Two years before Kamagai had
never seen tennis racquet or ball and
his first game was played with dis.
carded racquet of an English resident
Of Japan and red rubber ball such
as small children amuse themselves
with by bouncing on the sidewalks.
Some idea of his progress within the
last three years can be gained from
the fact that last January he returned
to Manila and won the championship
of the Orient from field which in
cluded Clarence Griffin, number seven
in the United States, ranking for last
season, and Ward Dawson, who is
ranked in the third ten for the same
period. O..
When the semi-final round was
reached there remained Kumagai and
Mikami. representing Japan and Grit
Fie and Dawson from the United
States. Griffin defeated Mikami, rs,
SO, 6-3, 6-1, while Kumagai won from
Dawson at GA, Ga, 6-2. When Griffin
met Kumagai in the final round the
pair proved very evenly matched and
while the Japanese expert won in
straight sets it was only after a ter
rifle court battle with two sets out of
three going to deuce, score being 1913,
6-3, 1913. During the American sea-
son Griffin had won matches from R.
Norris Williams, Irving Wright,
George M. Church, Ward and Fottrell
and worked his way into the fifth
round of the National Championship
tourney, where he was put out by
Johnston, the ultimate winner, in a
hard four-set match.
Kumagai and Mikami will play in
both the doubles and singles at the
Forest Hills National Championships.
Dawson and Griffin defeated them in
the final round of the Orient doubles
by scores of GA, Ga, 1913, the ia
panese being rather weak in the team
work so necessary to win in doubles
play. Of the two Kumagai is the bet
ter player having puzzling left hand
service and terrific fore and back
land drive, coupled with an uncanny
ability to make returns from almost
any angle and portion of court. He
does not conserve his energy in play,
but is apparently tireless upon the
court and master of tennis tactics.
Experts are already predicting that
one or both of the Japanese players
will prove sensation at the titular
tournament and upset many of the
American racquet stars before the
finals are reached.