New-York tribune., 1920-03-21
Ranking Tennis
Players Of U. S.
To Clash Soon
Tilden, Kumagae, Voshell,
Wright Among Entrants
I for North and South Title
By Fred Hawthorne


clay courts Of the Pinehurst Country
! Club, at Pinehurst, N. c., beginning
on Thursday, April 8, and finishing on
the following Wednesday.
Some of the men who will take the
courts on this occasion have won ma
tional and international regulations at
the game, and particular interest will
attach to matches between such play
ers this season, on account of the
possible bearing it will have on the
selection OF the teams that will go to
Wimbledon, to Antwerp and to New
Zealand, to play in the Davis Cup
matches of 1920.
The recent tournaments at Palm
Beach and at Havana, both of which
were won by Ichiya Kumagae, of Japan,
have served to put the players on edge,
and this means that those competing at
Pinehurst will be in something like
midseason form when they begin play
in the North and South classic.
There is an unusual amount of inter-
est on the part of the players in the
Southern championship tournament
this year, even though the fixture is
some three weeks off. Already, I am
informed, William T. Tilden I'd, run
ner-up for the national singles title
in 1918 and 1919, and the No 2 man in
the "first ten," has signifed his 'inten-
tion of competing.
Tilden's Entry Assured
Tilden is known as one Of the most
spectacular players, and one of the
most brilliant, in the world, and is re-
garded as an almost certain selection
for this years Davis Cup team.
know. personally, that the tall Phila-
delphian has his mind set on making
the international teams and on making
another bid for the national champion
ship this year, and this means that Til
den will go to Pinehurst prepared to
give of his best.
Kumagae will also be among the con-
tenders in the North and South cham
pionship, and those of US who recall
the terrific struggles between Tilden
and the little Japanese last season on
clay courts, do not need to be told that
another clash between them will result
, in a meeting worthy of the highest ira
ditions Of the game.
Kumagae is at his wonderful best on
clay courts. He fairly revels in the
fast going on the hard surface. AS a
matter of fact, | doubt. if there are
more than two or three men in the
country-no, not more than two-who
the latter is at his best. 1t was Tilden
himself, last summer, who told me,
after the Japanese had defeated him in
the tourney at Niagara on the Lake,
that Ichiya would have defeated any
man in the world that day.
S. Howard Voshell, former national
indoor champion and one of the great
players of this country, will play at
Pinehurst, as will Harold A. Throck-
morton, former national junior cham
pion and a player Of the spectacular,
smashing school; Beals c: Wright,
Davis Cup veteran; Craig Biddle, in
the greatest prodigy Of his years ever
developed inNAmerica.
Women Also to Compete
These men have already signifel
their intention of making the trip to
Pinehurst, and the list will undoubt-
edly be enlarged to include the names
of most of the great players of the
East before the entries close. Richard
Harte, of Boston, whom I pick as one
of the coming sensations of the courts
next season, may compete. He has
| met Tilden on a number Of occasions
on indoor courts this winter and won
| more than his share of the victories.
Verify, it looks as though the North
and South tournament will produce
some of the greatest tennis that we
shall witness during 1920.
Miss Marion Zinderstein, of Boston,
runner-up to Mrs. Wightman for the
national singles title last year and
holder of the doubles crown, with Miss
Eleanor Goss, will defend her title in
of the leading woman stars of the
East will strive for the singles and
! doubles honors.
! Those American players who are
chosen to represent this country in
the Davis Cup matches this year may
as we'll make up their minds to travel
to far New Zealand, which is a few
leagues beyond Australia, "the other
side of the world" There is small
doubt that the challenge round
matches will be played there, and prob
ably one of the preliminary ties,
decided on the courts of Christchurch.
We still have no word from the
Australian Association as to the ac-
ceptance of Canada's DELAYED entry
Should the Dominion be admitted, and
it seems likely that such will be the
case, new draw will have to be made,
and this might shift the opposing ma
tions around a bit.
Brookes Opposes Change
Norman Brookes, according to the
latest Australian newspapers received
IN this country, does not seem heartily
in favor OF New Zealand as the site for
the international matches, remarkine
that If the defending team is forced
to 60 to New Zealand all the advan-
ttage OF playing on home courts will be
lost.
".Austral," the famous lawn tennis
critic of "The Sidney Referee" writ.
ing about this situation, remarks:
BY the rules Of the Davis Cup com.
petition, Australia is coupled with New
Zealand as one nation, and they have
so played as Australasia since the in.
ceptlon of the cup. There was move
ment some years back by New Zealand
to sever the bonds, but at special con
ference in Sydney the bond was pre-
served. Under the compact arrived a
two out of three Davis Cup matche:
were to be played in Australia, the other
being in the Dominion.
accordingly, the 1908 and 100:
matches were played in Melbourne
and Sydney, and that of 1911 in Christ
church, New Zealand. That localit,
proved that year entirely unsuitable
owing to continuous rain, and w. A
Larned. of America, was affected tx
such an extent that he suffered acutel,