The sun., 1918-08-25
SEARS ANDLARNED
WON SEVEN TITLES
"Richard the First" Enioycd
UnbrOken Tennis Tenure;
Retired Indicated.
PIONEER TOURNEY IN 1881

history extends over a period OF thirty.
eight years. In that time fourteen in
dividuals have held the title in singles
II was In 1881 that the first national
competition with n recognized title at
tached was staged at Newport, and
Richard ID. Sears won the championship
For seven years in succession Sears
held sway--a remarkable record that
might have been even more remarkable
but for an injury which forced him 10
retire after he had defended the honors
successfully against Henry w. Slocum,
Jr., in 1887. Only William A. Larned,
now a Major in the Signal Corps, has
equalled Sears's feat, but Larneds ten.
ure was not unbroken. Larned first
won the championship in 1901. kept IL In
1902, but lost II to Hugh L. Doherty Of
England in 1908. In 1907 Larned began
his tenure of Ave successive years.
There were several so-called national
championship Journeys before 1881. but
none was official There was no ma
tional governing body and the game was
In very chaotic condition. 1t had been
introduced from England in 1874 and
there was no uniformity about the rules
or the Implements In the early days
the game was played with ordinary rub
Der balls and the distance from the
service line to the net was only twenty
six feet. DR.. James Dwight and Sears
soon established their supremacy in the
new game. which even in the press OF
those days had to undergo considerable
rid1cule as sport At only for ladies'"
Englishman n Winner.
Tennis developed rapidly and the lead.
ers soon began to realize the need for
central association. In 1850 there were
several tournaments which were styled
the national championship. One was held
On, tha ~ hn tn Tall Nd
Cricket and Baseball Club now the
Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club, at Liv-
ingston.
II was the first tournament open to
all Corners. and o. +. Woodhouse, from
England, was the winner. All previous
! events had been closed to various Sec
tons. and the lack of competitive inter-
course among the players retarded the
progress Of the sport. IN the spring Of
1881 several clubs got together and is
sued a call for meeting TO organize
a national body. On May 81 the United
States National Lawn Tennis Association
was formed and the recognized English
rules were adopted. Some time later the
Casino courts at Newport were adopted
for the first official national tournament
Sears not only won the first title that
year but he also introduced vollying
into American tennis He walked through
tHe lleI Win T1ulCulOuS ease. III lUOSo
days deuce sets were allowed only in
the final Sears did not loss a set in the
entire tourney and in the final defeated
w. e. GlyR-pf Staten Island, at 90,
6-3. GO.
Challenge Round Instituted.
While Sears and DR.. Dwight were
head and shoulders above everybody else
in singles they could do little In doubles,
the championship being won by &. "
Clark and F. w. Taylor of Philadelphia
In 1882 Sears again won the singles
and with Dr. Dwight. succeeded IN win
ming the doubles. beating Clark and
Taylor in the semi-hnals. In 1854 the
challenge round was Instituted. and II
was not until after the 1912 tournament
that this unfair system was abolished
and the playing through system was
instituted.
In 1884 II. A. Taylor of Harvard
won the all Corners and lost to Sears
in the challenge round. 60, Ia, 60,
60. The second set was the first
Sears had ever lost Mt Newport. g NJ
Brinkley of Trinity was Sears's victim
in the challenge round of 1855 and IN
1856 r. L. Beeckman lost TO the peren-
NAL title winner. In 1887 Sears beat
Slocum. but the next year saw Richard
the First out of the running. and
Slocum took the title by default
Slocum was again the winner in 1859,
In 1890 the third American champion,
Oliver Campbell. appeared on the scene.
In the challenge match Campbell de-
feated Socum three out Of four sets
Campbell was also the winner In 1891,
This tournament marked the frs, APP
pearance OF William \. Larned Of COR
nell University. who was rated among
the first twenty.
wrenn Mounts Pinnacle.
In 1892 Campbell won for a third tme,
The next year saw our fourth champion
mount the pinnacle. He was Robert y
Wrenn. a young Harvard student, TO
whom Campbell defaulted. Wreun was
destined to play very important role
In American tennis, for he became IN"
president of the United states National
Lawn Tennis Association, which on
Tuesday night is TO tender him d.nrer.
In 1894 NJ. F. Goodbody of ireland
won the open tourney and lost TO Wrenn
In the challenge round. The next year
saw success finally crown the efforts u
Frederick Fl. Hovey and he defeated
Wrenn in the challenge match, Wrehn
came back in 1896 and defeated Horey
In Ave sets Wrenn had beaten Larncd
in five set final.
Wrenn was once more successful in
1897, Which marked the second tore'ER
invasion w W. Eaves OF England and
II. A. Nisbet OF England had It out n
the final and Eaves won, only to fall be-
fore Wrenn.
The year Of the little unpleasantrpss
with Spain, 1898. saw Wrenn and Iarord
with the Rough Riders in Cuba, leaving
Malcolm D. Whitman to win the mad
and take the title by default Wht1nn
kept the title for three years, and IN 1901
defaulted to Larned. who had beaten
Beals Wright in the Anal.
Reginald F. Doherty won The '?'2
tourney, but could not wrest the title
from Larned. Reginald's hrothc. lluGA
succeeded the following year, and i7
the first time America had to;".E"
tennis champion.
Hugh Doherty did not come over 10
defend in 1904 and Holcombe Ward won
tho title. Beals Wright. the left handler
won the title in 1905. In 1906 WIllm
J. Clothier, again contender this year,
defeated Wright, but the Philad'lp lH'n
defaulted to Larned the next year
Larned remained at the top until lHl-'
when he defaulted TO McLough,in. F".
two years the Comet was in the aS '"u-
dancy, and in 1914 Richard Norris WEI
Jams I'd came to the fore. Last year
William NJ. Johnston was the winner
In 1916 williams regained his title IN
sensational style and then came the ma
tional tournament of 1917. which had 10
title at stake. This was won by X
Lindley Murray. who again seeks tho
top position.
HANDBALL CHALLENGE.