The New York herald., 1922-02-24
TWO FORMER TENNIS
CHAMPIONS ENTERED
Miss Wagner and Mrs. Schmitz
to Play In Metropolitan
Title Event.
By SAMUEL J. BRooKMAN.

Two former national indoor champions
are among the entrants in the metro
politan indoor tennis championship for
women, which opens next Monday on
the courts of the Seventh Regiment Ten
mis- Club. They are Miss Marie Wagner.
who won the title on five occasions. and
Mrs. Frederick Schmitz. OF the two
Miss Wagner has played the most I'm
pressive tennis Of late and mas the bet
ter chance OF coming through to the
final
In the absence of Mrs. Edwin A. Falk.
who owing to lack of practice this in
door season will not defend her metro
politan title the favorite in the tourna-
ment will be Miss Martha Bayard of
Short Hills, who was runnerup In the
tournament year ago. At present Miss
Bayard is the highest rated entrant, but
two more days remain before the close of
entries, and before the draw is made
there is a chance that several others
who rank in the first twenty nationally
will be among the aspirants.
In the doubles division of the tourna-
nent the title holders, Miss Marie Wag-
ner and Mrs. Bernard F. Stenz and the
runners up of last year, Mrs. l.. @. Nor
ris and Mrs. Benjamin +. Briggs have
sent In their entries. Play is to start
Monday morning with an entry that is
expected to reach sixty
The surprising thing about the annual
tennis ranking of the Philadelphia dis
trict which has just been Issued is that
so many veterans occupy leading POSI-
tions in the list OF the first seven
five are men who may be classed as
veterans of the sport, men who have
been active in tournament play for more
than fifteen years, and In one or two
cases twenty-five years. In third place.
for instance, is William ]. Clothier, who
was national champion sixteen years
ago; fourth is Stanley w. Pearson, an
experienced campaigner, who has peen
a squash racquets champion on severai
occasions sixth Is DR.. Philip b. HAWK,
the national veteran champion, and sew
enth Is Craig Biddle.
Wallace f. Johnson, who also has peeh
in the game long enough to be called a
veteran, Is second in rank, right behlnd
the worlds champion. William t. I'll
den I'd. The only real youngster among
the first seven Is Carl Fischer, eastern
Pennsylvania and middle States cham
pion who was placed fifth on the list.
The others in the first ten are e. M. Ed
wards. eighth; I. 8. Cravis. ninth, and
Alex d. Thayer Jr., tenth. In all, ITO
players were included In the district
ranking.
Francis T. Hunter has reached the final
round of the Heights Casino tennis cham
pionship. and awaits the survivor OF two
other matches, in which Dean Mathey
Harold A. Throckmorton and CEDRIC
Major will be the participants. The WIN
ner OF the Throckmorton-Ma1or match IL
to meet Mathey in the semi-hnal. In tne
doubles division of the tournament the
present title holders. William A. Camp
bell and William !. Gallon, have ad-
vanced to the championship round. The
finals. both in singles and In doubles, are
to be decided on Saturday, March IL.
Time was when service meant very
little in racquets. 1t was merely way
of starting a rally. But It has become
so great scoring asset that British
officials are thinking seriously Of amend
inE the playing rules so as to curtall lts
effectiveness Among the suggestions
that have been offered arc the following
That the service line on the front wall
be raised another foot or two; that the
game be played with a smaller ball, and
finally that only one service be ailoweo
instead of two. In this country the one
service rule has been in force for seven
or eight years. and It Is exceedingly
probable that of the three changes sug.
gested the one adopted in America VIII
be favored in England.
A return team match between Sew
enth Regiment Tennis CLUB ana the
arranged. to be held in the armory OF
the Eighth Coast Defense on Sunday,
February 26. In the frst meeting be-
tween the teams the Seventies squad on
its home courts scored rather decisively.