Covered Court—Champion, E. W. Lewis.
United States—Champion, H. Slocum, Jr.; doubles champions, V. G. Hall and O. S. Campbell.
The United States National Lawn Tennis Association has not yet recognized a lady championship, and if any such championship is claimed it is open to question.
THE lawn tennis season in England has ended, and from the results of play for the year an interesting review has been completed by the London Pastime. This shows that hardly a tournament, after the end of May, was free from the serious inconveniences caused by heavy falls of rain. Among the principal features of the season was the defeat of W. Renshaw by W. J. Hamilton, in the championship tournament at Wimbledon, and the success of his twin brother, Ernest Renshaw, at the same meeting. The champion, E. Renshaw, has not once been defeated on level terms, and his record against the first-class players is an excellent one. Against the second-class players his average is not as good as those of the other men in his class. He lost two sets out of eight played, while Lewis lost only that number out of twelve, and Hamilton three out of seventeen. The two sets lost by Renshaw were in his match with Wilberforce, at Wimbledon, on the day that W. Renshaw was defeated by Hamilton, when the ground was in a very soft condition. Neither Renshaw or Lewis lost a set to a third-class man. The classification of the leading English lawn-tennis players for the season of 1888, based on actual public performances, in matches on level terms, is as follows:
First class—E. Renshaw, W. J. Hamilton, E. W. Lewis.
Second class—W. Renshaw, E. G. Meers, H. F. Lawford, H. Chipp, P. B. Lyon, A. G. Ziffo, H. Grove, H. S. Barlow, E. de S. Browne, H. W. Wilberforce, J. Pine, J. Baldwin, C. G. Eames, H. S. Scrivner, T. S. Campion, F. A. Bowlby.
Third class—H. S. Stone, F. L. Rawson, W. D. Hamilton, W. C. Taylor, C. L. Sweet, M. S. Constable, W. C. Hillyard, C. H. Ross, J. R. Deykin, F. S. Noon, P. B. Brown, A. Thompson, A. de C. Wilson, G. R. Newburn, W. Baddeley, F. O. Stoker, H. S. Mahoney.
The placing of W. Renshaw, ex-champion, in the second class is due to the rule that no player beaten by a player in the second class, without having defeated one in the first class, shall be placed in the first.
THE development of tennis in the Southern States, both as to the number of clubs and players and the improvement shown in play, is wonderful; and, although the first open tournament at Washington, in September, resulted in the honors being brought to Boston by Messrs. Mansfield and Hoppin, the Northern players who were in attendance during the week of the tournament all look forward to seeing two, if not three, strong players from the South in the national championship of next year. Mr. Post, of Baltimore, is perhaps the most promising among the younger set. He is only seventeen years of age, yet taking the odds of half-fifteen from Tom Pettitt, he made a very creditable showing, winning the first set. Charles L. McCawley, of the Marine barracks, is another rising player, and with his partner, Mr. Post, they made a strong fight in the final doubles against Hoppin and Mansfield. The above championship was played on dirt courts, and the Country Club contemplates covering the courts in. Thus the Southern players will be able to keep in practice all the year round. With the many advantages for play afforded the players in the South, they will before long make dangerous rivals for our Northern cracks. Already there are more than 100 lawn tennis clubs and many new ones are springing up every day.
THE Hunnewell Tennis Court, near Dartmouth Street, Boston, has been reopened pending the completion of the courts in the new building of the Boston Athletic Association on the Back Bay. Tom Pettitt is again in charge, and Messrs. Hunnewell, Warren, Metcalf, Dr. Haven, and other lovers of the game, are in regular practice.