New-York tribune., 1919-03-11
Miss Baker Sensation of
Opening Day; Mrs.
Sohst Beats Miss Taylor
BY Fred Hawthorne

he twelfth annual wOmens national
indoor championship singles lawn ten
mis- tournament started on the board
courts of the Seventh Regiment
Armory. Park Avenue and Sixty-sixth
Street, yesterday morning. total of
fourteen matches being decided without
any startling upsets TO enliven tho
opening day. Mrs. F. c. Sohst. of the
New York Tennis Club. reached the
fartherst out toward the final brackets.
advancing to the round before the
seml-finals through default IN the
first round and well-earned victory
over Miss Margaret Taylor at 81.
Go in the second.
Among the favorites who came
through without much difficulty wero
Mrs. Stuart Green, of the Ardsley Club.
Middle States champion; Miss Glare
Cassel, ranked No. s last year among
the first ten women players. and
Miss Florence sheldon, of Montclair
Two OF the brightest stars, Mrs George
II. Wlghtman, three times q holder OF
the national singles championship 49,
turf courts. and Miss Marion Zind<cer
stein, national doubles champion ~stT
Miss Eleanor Goss, did not play yesssFao
day, but they are to arrive from Bos
ton this morning and VIII play their
opening round matches this morning.
total Of thirty-two women were en-
tered, and the number had been re
duced TO eighteen when the last match
Of the day was finished. The doubles
VIII begin this afternoon, with sixteen
pairs entered
School Girl Victor
Miss Betty Baker. a sixteen year old
schoolgirl, provided the main sensa-
ton Of tho day by her three-set vic
tory over Mrs. q. b. Stanwix, in the
first round, by score of 60, 81,
g |. Miss Baker, playing in her sec
ond tournament, showed most prom
Using game and her ground strokes
won many points for her, some of her
backhand drives bringing applause
from the galley. She should have
won in straight sets, but IN the soc
ond, after Mrs. StanwiN had won two
games in row, the schoolgirl became
bit flustered and her steadiness de
serted her, with the result that Mrs
Stanwix took the set and squared the
match
In the third and final set, however
Miss Baker once more assumed com
mand and swept through to victory.
winning the set at 61, and the
match. She shows every promise %
developing into one OF the ranking
stars, In justice to Mrs. Stanwi>. +,
should be mentioned that she ONLY
took up the game last summer and
was competing in her first tournament
The defeat Of Miss Taylor by Mr.
Sohst came in the nature of de
clded surprise to majority of the
spectators, who did not realize that
this was Miss Taylor's first tourna-
u al
has been engaged IN war work prac-
tically continuously since 1917, and
hence was utterly unable to do her
self justice on the court. She could
neither gauge the length or the court
accurately, nor did her usual speedy
ground strokes come Off with 1noir for
mer speed. and overhead she was far
removed from her customary sevcritv
Mrs. Sohst took full advantage Of her
opponents mistakes and played sound
tennis to win.
Easy for Mrs. Green
Mrs. Green made short work %
young Miss Adelaide Hooker, winning
in straight sets at CO. 6-1. but the
struggle was bit closer than the fig
ures would indicate. Miss Hooker has
been receiving professional coaching
Tor year or more, and the result
SHOWS In the crisp manner in which
she executes her strokes, bat yester-
day she was too anxious tc score on
kills and sacrificed many points bv
driving out Of court or smashing into
the net; Sne plays her }orehand drive
with the bail almost shoulder high
and puts q surprising amount Of
power into the shot. with a full fol
lo~-through, but that Vas practically
the only weapon she possessed yester-
day, and Mrs. Green, covering her
court sDlenAdly and ripping swift
sorehand drives 20 the girls backhand.
always looked Ike the victor
Mss Casseil overwhelmed Mrs \
Dam a. Go, 60, never giving her
opponent a chance. The Bronxville
girl followed in after service with
speed and excellent judgment, and her
vollcying AZ The net position was sharp
and accurate. This morning Miss Cas-
SCI WI have sterrer task when she
faces Mrs. = II. Cabot, Of Boston, who
defeated Mrs. i. T Morse in the first
round a. 6-4, CO IN well played
match