New-York tribune., 1918-02-04
Women Stars
With Racquet
Battle To-Day
Miss Bjurstedt and Miss
Wagner Thown Into Same
Half Of Draw
By Fred Hawthorne

\ notable field OF racquet wieldcrs
will begin play en- the indoor courts
of the Heights Casino, on Montague
Street, Brooklyn, this morning, when
the annual invitation lawn tennis tour
i.ament gets under way Champions
and former champions will oppose one
another, and while it seems too much
10 believe that Miss Molla Bjurstedt,
present holder of the national outdoor
title and holder of the Casino Cup,
will be dethroned, there is always the
chance that such a thing will happen.
The fortunes of the draw have
thrown Miss Bjurstedt and Miss Marie
Wagner, her greatest rival in the East,
into the same half, the upper, so that
ono or the other must fall out before
tho final round is reached, instead of
the two meeting in the ultimate
bracket. as has so often been the case
when these players have played in the
same tournaments.
Chance for Miss Vandcrhoef
II everything goes by the book. Miss
Bjurstedt should oppose Miss Wagner
in the semi-iinal round. Only Miss
Marion Vanderhoef. runncr-up in the
womcn's national tourney at Phlladel-
phia last June, seems liable TO give
the great Norwegian anything like Sc
rious opposition.
Likewise, in Miss Wagner's section
of the draw, the indoor champion
should be able to reach into the semi
final round without great trouble. Mrs.
de Forest Candce, Mrs. Theodore &.
Cassebeer, Mrs. Eberhardt and Miss
BESSIE Holden look like the strongest
of the opposition.
In the lower half of the draw we
find considerable strength, with Miss
Eleanor Goss, runner-up last year for
the national indoor championship; Mrs.
Spencer Fullerton Weaver, former
national indoors doubles champion;
Mrs. Rawson L. Wood, former Florida
state champion: Miss Margaret Taylor,
winner of many titles in the South,
and Miss Florence Ballin, winner OF
the Old Dominion championship.
It is unfortunate that two such splen-
did players rs Mrs. Weaver and Mrs.
Wood should be cast together in the
first round. necessitating the elimina-
ton of one at the very start of the
tournament Were it not for the fact
Mrs. Weaver has not appeared in tour
nament play for the last two years, it
would be toss-up as to which would
walk off with the honors to-day. In
view of Mrs. Woods splendid work on
the courts last season it is reasona-
BILE to suppose that she will vanquish
Mrs Weaver this afternoon, the
match being set for 8 o'clock.
Learned Game Together
Mrs. Weaver and her opponent of to-
dav practically learned the game to-
gcther, playing as n doubles team tor
several years and forming one OF the
most brilliant combinations in the
East. 1t is probable that they viii
team together again during the coming
season, and if they do many titles Will
fall to their lot
Miss Taylor and Miss Bailin also are
bracketed together, thus eliminating
another strong contender early in the
tourney Miss Goss stands good
chance of gaining the semi-tinal round
in the lower half, with either Miss
TAYLOR or Miss Ballin possibility in
the remaining bracket.
OF the more important matches
scheduled for to-day, Miss Bjurstedt
will play Mrs. e. Sohst at o'clock;
Mrs. Candee and Mrs. Eberhardt start
at II; Miss Wagner and Miss B. Har-
Mrs. J. Roggc, Norwegian newcomer,
at II; Miss Goss and Mrs. NJ. B. Huff
at $3.50; Mrs. Weaver and Mrs. Wood
at g. aid Miss Taylor and Miss Ballin
at 10 o'clock.
The tournament will continue
through Saturday, with the doubles
.tarting tomorrow morning.