New-York tribune., 1919-04-22
Heights Tennis
journey Proves
Sport Popular
Although No Titles Are In
volvcd Big Entry and
Large Galleries Prevail
BY Fred Hawthorne

1t was only an informal tournament,
with no titles dependent upon the re-
suit, and It was full two weeks ahead
Of the official opening of the lawn
tennis season on outdoor courts in +bo
Metropolitan district, yet the mems
open doubles tourney of the Univer-
sity Heights Tennis Club. at Fordbam
hoad and the Harlem River. attracted
an excellent entry and large galleries
gathered to watch the PLAYERS in action
cite TINS merely to indicate the
tremendous vogue that the game is 90
lug To enjoy all over the country this
year Here we were, less than tuo
weeks ago, shivcring in a snow storm
put on Saturday and Sunday last tha
courts were in play, the big and little
sOaIs or the game responded to the call
enu the spectators showed their keen
bers. e'00'S ""in-
The opening of the outdoor season
naS not been marked by such encourar-
ing circumstances since 1916 or over ns
oelorc that. The general feeling seems
TO &c be that, the world war having been
1hlshed and our duty to our allies we'll
done everybody has earned the right to
play the game he likes, and, further
that ne is going to play it bit harder
and bit better than ever before.
for one thing, those whom we are
accustomed to call the veterans" of
the game, men like Williams, Nc
IL! ,LL!o,ughlin, Murray, Alexander, Vosheu.
lllden and Kumagae, will have an extra
incentive to put forth their best efforts
TINS year: Right on their heels are
treadlng half dozen or more young
sters who have given flashes of form
mat indicate the time is fast approach
ing when they will offer serious opposi-
tlon to the older generation of court
stars.
Vincent Richards. the sixteen-year-
old lad from the University Heights
TENNIS Club. has already broken
through the ranks of the veterans on
two separate occasions. Last summer,
pared with Tilden, he defeated Alex
ander and Beals c. Wright in the final
round of the national doubles cham
plonshlp, thereby winning one senior
title.
Last month this slip of boy went
through a strong field in the national
indoor title tourney at the 7th Rcgi-
ment Armory and won the champion
ship by vanquishing Tilden in the final
round Another youth, Frank Y. An
derson, seventecn-year wonder from
the Kings County Tennis Club OF
Brooklyn, met Tilden in the scmi-Anal
round of the same tournament and
struggle for the victory, being twice
within single point of winning.
Richards and Anderson are but the
heralds of that small army of young
stcrs the country over which is going
to make II determined assault upon the
ranks of the FIRST ten" players of for
mer years. The probabilities arc
strongly in favor OF the cold guard"
holding its own with practically un-
broken front this season and perhaps
the next but the youngsters cannot
be denied their heritage much longer,
and followers of the game will well
come them, for their coming to power
means much for Americas position on
the courts in the years to come
Brlllant IN performance as the ap-
preaching season promises 20 be. it is
but the preliminary, the prologue, to
1920, when this country will enter the
lists IN competition with all the other
great tennis playing nations of the
world for possession of the Davis Cup,
now held by Australia.
Ing anu, rance. Belglum and Italy
have already challenged Australia for
tins international trophy, ard they
will settle the supremacy in the antip-
odes next December, after the pre-
liminary matches have been played in
Europe.
The winners of the cup this year
viii be in a far better position to meet
Americas challenge next year than
could be possible at this time. There
Will have been the chance to develop
new players and the benefit of inter-
national competition, and it is to be
hoped that the quality Of play will
rise as a result.
Our Allies have been so torn and
weakened by more than four years
of desperate warfare that there has
been no talk Of lawn tennis since the
last Davis Cup matches of 1914, and
it Is presumed that in none of the
European countries has there been an
effort made to bring out new players.
AT least, we have not heard of any
such movement. 1t is possible, how
ever, that Great Britain and France
Will uncover some youthful marvels
to do battle with our own youth on
cnp1ot h lilo ortta1 for,,,c Avon; -,