New-York tribune., 1920-03-06
Britons Will
Oppose Dutch
On the Court
Draw Also Calls for United
States to Meet South
Africa in First Round
By Fred Hawthorne

SYDNEY, N. S. W.. March 5.-Hol-
land has been added to the list of chal-
lengers for the Davis Cup, the chief
| lawn tennis trophy of the world, and
the draw to decide upon competitors
has resulted in Great Britain opposing
Holland and the United States meeting
South Africa in the first round.
The above dispatch clears away some
Of the mystery concerning the cabled
reports we printed yesterday, concern
ing the challenges for the interna-
tional cup. Through some oversight
Holland was not mentioned as being
among the contenders yesterday, and
there is still no explanation as to why
France and Belgium will not be repre-
sented.
With Andre Colbert and Max Decugis,
two of the greatest players in Europe,
| it seemed that France would have fully
as good chance at the cup as the
British Isles. Belgium, too, has al
ways ranked higher than Holland from
lawn tennis standpoint.
However, the draw, as it stands, sim
plifies matters considerably Although
nary matches would probably be played
in New Zealand, it is now believed that
the challenging nations will meet to
decide the supremacy in England, pos
sibly on the courts Wimbledon.
This would do away with a great
amount Of travelling, and at the same
time it would make entirely feasible
the plan of the United States to send
representative team to England to COM
pete in the all-England championship
tourney at Wimbledon, beginning on
June 21.
Unless both South Africa and Hol-
land have been harboring some hth-
erto unknown geniuses of the courts,
America and the British Isles will meet
in the final round for the right to play
Australasia in the challenge round
South Africa's best player, Aitkin, does
not class with our "frst ten" string, if
we are to judge by his showing at
Wimbledon last June, when Watson NJ
Washburn defeated him by score of
IS, 6-8, Go, 60, in one of the
early rounds.
! Providing the men named can make
the trip to England next summer. look
to see Johnston, Tilden and perhaps
Murray, Williams, Wallace johnson
and Charles S. Garland on the team
Personally, l believe Johnston and Til
den alone could clean up the prelim1-
nary matches between them and seri-
ously threaten Great Britain's suprem-
acy at Wimbledon.
While there will be a feeling of gen.
eral satisfaction among players in this
country because the United States is
to be represented abroad next summer,
it should be borne in mind that the
taking away of fours OF five of our
greatest players just at the start OF
the tournament season here will have
tendency to cripple the entry list in
all the fixtures up to August.
This will be a good thing for some
OF the less prominent players, how
ever, who will have their great oppor
tunlty to annex some of the historic
court titles. Perhaps certain of the
juniors, such as Vincent Richards and
Frank T. Anderson, will show to the
front, under the existing conditions.
The full returns on the number of
applications made by clubs and asso-
Citations for the holding of tourna-
ments during the coming season have
not yet been tabulated, but everything
indicates that the playing schedule will
pc an active one from early May until
late September.
| understand that the annual Sleepy
Hollow tournament at Scarborough-on-
Hudson, for the famous gold cups, will
be staged with all its old prestige this
spring. This was the tourney where
Robert Lindley Murray, fresh from
California, first made his spectacular
appearance in the East, defeating Hall
Alexander and Karl Behr in single
day and winning leg on the singles
cup. The late Gus Touchard. if I mis-
take not, also won a leg on the trophv