1917 U.S. National Championships (tennis)

1917 U.S. National Championships
Date 20 August – 25 August (M)
18 June – 23 June (W)
Edition 37th
Category Grand Slam (ITF)
Surface Grass
Location Forest Hills, Queens
New York, USA
Venue West Side Tennis Club
Champions
Men's Singles
United States Robert Lindley Murray [1]
Women's Singles
Norway Molla Bjurstedt [2]
Men's Doubles
United States Fred Alexander / United States Harold Throckmorton [3]
Women's Doubles
Norway Molla Bjurstedt / United States Eleonora Sears [4]
Mixed Doubles
Norway Molla Bjurstedt / United States Irving Wright [5]
Chuck Garland at the 1917 U.S. National Championships

The 1917 U.S. National Championships (now known as the US Open), officially renamed that year to National Patriotic Tournament, was a tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills in New York, USA. The tournament ran from 20 August until 25 August. It was the 37th staging of the U.S. National Championships and due to World War I the only Grand Slam tennis event of the year.

Patriotic Tournament

The tournament was renamed National Patriotic Tournament in support of the war effort. No trophies were handed out to the winners and the entrance fees were dedicated to the American Red Cross.[6] Robert Lindley Murray defeated Bostonian Nathaniel W. Niles in four sets.[7]

In the commemorative book titled 'Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in the United States', published by the USLTA in 1931, Lindley Murray commented on the final: "I succeeded in beating Nat Niles 5–7, 8–6, 6–3, 6–3, plenty of indication that the match was close and hard fought. I remember well that, try as I would, I could not get into the full swing of my game those first two sets. This was because my opponent was driving beautifully, particularly low, fast ones to my backhand. In addition he was lobbing so accurately and deeply that, try as I would, I could not bring off my kills. Nat led me one set to love and 6–5 in the second set. which was mighty close to being two sets down. But about that time my game began to get going. Up until that time I had just been missing and while desperately dashing all over the court my shots would end in just hitting the net or just going out. From the twelfth game of the second set, on for the rest of the match, things began to go right, and at the and I felt as if I was playing as well as I know how."[8]

Champions

Men's Singles

United States Robert Lindley Murray defeated United States Nathaniel W. Niles 5–7, 8–6, 6–3, 6–3

Women's Singles

Norway Molla Bjurstedt defeated United States Marion Vanderhoef 4–6, 6–0, 6–2

Men's doubles

United States Fred Alexander / United States Harold Throckmorton defeated United States Harry Johnson / United States Irving Wright 11–9, 6–4, 6–4

Women's doubles

Norway Molla Bjurstedt / United States Eleonora Sears defeated United States Phyllis Walsh / United States Grace Moore LeRoy 6–2, 6–4

Mixed doubles

Norway Molla Bjurstedt / United States Irving Wright defeated United States Florence Ballin / United States Bill Tilden 10–12, 6–1, 6–3

References

  1. Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 457. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  2. Collins, p. 468
  3. Collins, p. 477
  4. Collins, p. 479
  5. Collins, p. 481
  6. "Tennis Body Agrees to Award no Titles" (PDF). The New York Times. April 22, 1917.
  7. "Murray New Leader of Tennis Cohorts" (PDF). The New York Times. August 26, 1917.
  8. Fifty Years of Lawn Tennis in the United States. New York: USLTA. 1931. p. 174. OCLC 2703762.

External links

Preceded by
1916 U.S. National Championships
Grand Slams Succeeded by
1918 U.S. National Championships
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