The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-11
HELEN WILLS
 FACES STARS
Mary Browne And Mrs.
 Mallory Most Danger Ous Challengers

NEW YORK, Aug. 10.-Fresh from a tremendous personal success on the Olympic courts in Paris, Miss Helen Wills is facing the most strenuous test of her short playing career in the an nual women's national championship tournament beginning this week at Forest Hills.
 Monday she meets Mrs. L. c. Beau pre-, champion of Quebec.
 Miss Wills will defend the national championship which she won from Mrs. Mallory year ago against the strong est group of women competitors which has ever come together for the title nfatches. The draw was seded with eight of the most outstanding players, but that by no means signifies that there are but eight contenders in the lists.
 In the lower half of the draw are such stars as Miss Mary K. Browne, Miss Leslie Bancroft, Mrs. Ceres Baker Sackett and Miss Mayme Macdonald, national clay-court champion. Miss Wills is in this half of the draw and she must play through all these or their conquerors before she can reach the final round.
 Mrs. Molla Mallory, Miss Eleanor Sears, Miss Eleanor Goss and Miss Edith Sigourney will make the going hard in the upper half. In numbers and quality the 1924 entry excells any previous year. The best of the con testants need be only slightly off form to be beaten.
 As national ana Olympic singles champion, unassuming Helen Wills Is the focal point of popular interest, but there are others who will carry a large burden of general attention into the matches. Such a one as Miss Browne for some time engaged in daily practice in northern New York, who was the wonder of the tennis world when she won the women's singles three times in a row beginning in 1912. Miss Browne retired with her third national success and permanent possession of the three legged cup, but in 1917 she toured the United States playing exhibition matches for the ambulance fund. She entered the national matches in 1921, but was beaten by Mrs Mallory.
 Until this year golf succeeded tennis as Miss Browne's favorite sport, but she has set herself to the task of a ten his comeback and reports from her upstate training court indicate that she again is perfecting the championship form that carried her to success before the war. In 1921, Mrs. Mallory was at the top of her form and although Miss Browne came through her earlier opponents with astounding ease, she faltered before Mrs. Mallory after win ming the first set and dropped the next two in succession, losing the match.
 Miss Wills has been working hard for the championship tests. Daily she has sought the courts where the title games will be played, and opposed by vari- ous first-class men players, has worked to bring her play as nearly to perfec- ton as possible. The matches will be played on turf courts and it may be in- ferred that Miss Wills is not partial tS such springy underfooting. It was ofi a turf court that the young Cali f0rnian so disappointed herself and her admirers in the Wimbledon tourna- ment in England before she went to Paris. Once on the clay courts of the Olympics, Miss Wills shone.
 It is possible that the semi-final of the lower half of the draw may prove to be the highlight of the tournament. Miss Wills and Miss Browne may meet, in that event, in a match in which ex- perience and youthful ability would be pitted in what could not but be a stirring exhibition.