Eastern Grass Court Championships

Eastern Grass Court Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Tour	USLTA
Founded	1927
Abolished	1969
Editions	43
Location	Rye, N.Y, U.S. (1927–45) South Orange, N.J., U.S. (1946–69)
Venue	Westchester Country Club (1927–45) Orange Lawn Tennis Club (1946–74)
Surface	Grass

The Eastern Grass Court Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament held on outdoor grass courts in the New York City area from 1927 to 1969. It was founded by the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association of the USLTA, and in 1939, became the first tennis competition to be televised in the United States.[1]

History

The Eastern Grass Court Championships were founded in 1927 under the aegis of the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association (the New York City regional chapter of the USLTA).[2] Also in 1927 the Eastern Clay Court Championships began under the direction of the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association.

The first edition was held in 1927 at the Westchester Country Club, in Rye, New York. In 1946 the tournament relocated to the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, New Jersey.[3] The tournament was played on outdoor grass courts and was usually held in August.[4][5] In 1970 the tournament was renamed the Marlboro Open,[6] which continued until 1983.

Finals

Men's singles

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1927	Julius Seligson	William Aydelotte	6–3, 6–3, 9–7 [7]
1928	John Doeg	Fritz Mercur	7–5, 8–6, 6–1 [7]
1929	Bill Tilden	Francis Hunter	6–2, 6–2, 10-8 [7]
1930	Clifford Sutter	Gregory Mangin	4–6, 8–6, 7–5, 4–6, 6–1 [7]
1931	Fred Perry	J. Gilbert Hall	4–6, 8–6, 7–5, 4–6, 6–1 [7]
1932	Clifford Sutter (2)	Gregory Mangin	6–4, 4–6, 6–3, 6–0 [7]
1933	Sidney Wood	Clifford Sutter	6–1, 6–4, 6–4 [7]
1934	Frank Parker	George Lott	3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 8–6 [7]
1935	Bitsy Grant	Frank Shields	3–6, 6–3, 6–4, 7–9, 6–4 [7]
1936	Don Budge	Bobby Riggs	6–8, 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 [7]
1937	Bobby Riggs	Frank Parker	6–3, 7–5, 7–5 [7]
1938	Bobby Riggs (2)	Joe Hunt	6–4, 6–3, 3–6, 10-8 [7]
1939	Bobby Riggs (3)	Frank Parker	1–6, 6–4, 6–4, 7–5 [7]
1940	Bobby Riggs (4)	Don McNeill	6–2, 3–6, 7–5, 6–4 [7]
1941	Frank Kovacs	Wayne Sabin	7–5, 6–4, 6–2 [7]
1942	Ted Schroeder	Seymour Greenberg	w.o. [7]
1943	Pancho Segura	Joe Hunt	6–4, 6–1, 6–3 [7]
1944	Bill Talbert	Pancho Segura	9–7, 6–4, 6–4 [7]
1945	Bill Talbert (2)	Pancho Segura	4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 5–7, 6–0 [7]
1946	Don McNeill	Gardnar Mulloy	3–6, 4–6, 12–10, 7–5, 6–3 [7]
1947	Ted Schroeder (2)	Gardnar Mulloy	6–1, 7–5, 6–3 [7]
1948	Frank Parker (2)	Ted Schroeder	6–2, 9–7, 6–2 [7]
1949	Gardnar Mulloy	Arthur Larsen	5–7, 1–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–2 [7]
1950	Herbert Flam	Vic Seixas	6–3, 6–3, 6–3 [7]
1951	Bill Talbert (3)	Gardnar Mulloy	6–4, 6–4, 6–2 [7]
1952	Ken McGregor	Frank Sedgman	6–3, 6–4 [7]
1953	Lew Hoad	Rex Hartwig	7–5, 6–4, 6–1 [7]
1954	Lew Hoad (2)	Ken Rosewall	6–3, 6–4, 6–3 [7]
1955	Sam Giammalva	Gilbert Shea	6–2, 3–6, 11–9, 9–7 [7]
1956	Ham Richardson	Neale Fraser	6–3, 6–2, 6–2 [7]
1957	Dick Savitt	Vic Seixas	6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 8–6 [7]
1958	Malcolm Anderson	Ham Richardson	6–3, 6–4, 6–8, 13–15, 6–4 [7]
1959	Alex Olmedo	Mike Green	6–4, 3–6, 6–0, 6–2 [7]
1960	Rod Laver	Donald Dell	6–1, 10–8, 6–4 [7]
1961	Chuck McKinley	Frank Froehling	6–3, 6–3, 6–2 [7]
1962	Fred Stolle	Donald Dell	8–6, 14–16, 6–3, 6–4 [7]
1963	Gene Scott	Marty Riessen	6–4, 6–4, 6–4 [7]
1964	Arthur Ashe	Clark Graebner	4–6, 8–6, 6–4, 6–3 [7]
1965	Fred Stolle (2)	Roy Emerson	6–3, 2–6, 6–4, 6–4 [7]
1966	Tony Roche	Clark Graebner	6–4, 6–4, 6–3 [7]
1967	Marty Riessen	Clark Graebner	18–16, 6–2, 6–1 [7]
↓  Open Era  ↓
1968	Charles Pasarell	Clark Graebner	3–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 [7]
1969	Stan Smith	Clark Graebner	6–1, 6–4, 6–4 [7]

Women's singles

Year	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1927	Molla Bjurstedt Mallory	Charlotte Hosmer Chapin	2–6, 6–2, 7–5
1928	May Sutton Bundy	Charlotte Hosmer Chapin	4–6, 7–5, 6–4
1929	Sarah Palfrey	Mary Greef	6–1, 6–3
1930	Marjorie Gladman	Maud Rosenbaum	7–5, 4–6, 8–6
1931	Elsie Goldsack Pittman	Joan Ridley	shared
1932	Elsie Goldsack Pittman (2)	Joan Ridley	6–8, 6–1, 6–2
1933	Dorothy Round	Mary Heeley	6–2, 6–4
1934	Kay Stammers	Freda James	6–4, 3–6, 6–4
1935	Agnes Sherwood Lamme	Mary Greef	4–6, 8–6, 6–3
1936	Sylvie Jung Henrotin	Helen Pedersen	5–7, 6–2, 6–2
1937	Jadwiga Jędrzejowska	Alice Marble	7–5, 6–4
1938	Alice Marble	Dorothy Bundy	7–5, 6–0
1939	Alice Marble (2)	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–4, 6–4
1940	Alice Marble (3)	Helen Jacobs	6–1, 6–0
1941	Pauline Betz	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	2–6, 8–6, 7–5
1942	Louise Brough	Pauline Betz	6–3, 7–5
1943	Margaret Osborne	Doris Hart	6–2, 6–4
1944	Louise Brough (2)	Pauline Betz	6–3, 6–1
1945	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	Pauline Betz	5–7, 6–3, 6–3
1946	Shirley Fry	Virginia Wolfenden	6–4, 9–7
1947	Margaret Osborne (2)	Louise Brough	6–3, 4–6, 9–7
1948	Louise Brough (3)	Margaret Osborne duPont	6–3, 8–6
1949	Doris Hart	Shirley Fry	6–3, 6–4
1950	Doris Hart (2)	Louise Brough	6–4, 9–7
1951	Patricia Canning Todd	Maureen Connolly	3–6, 6–4, 6–2
1952	Doris Hart (3)	Shirley Fry	6–1, 6–3
1953	Doris Hart (4)	Shirley Fry	6–3, 2–6, 6–2
1954	Louise Brough (4)	Margaret Osborne duPont	8–6, 6–2
1955	Barbara Scofield	Barbara Breit	6–4, 1–6, 6–1
1956	Althea Gibson	Louise Brough	6–1, 6–3
1957	Mary Ann Mitchell	Jeanne Arth	7–5, 6–2
1958	Althea Gibson (2)	Sally Moore	9–7, 6–2
1959	Renée Schuurman	Sandra Reynolds	6–4, 1–6, 6–1
1960	Karen Hantze	Nancy Richey	6–1, 6–3
1961	Karen Hantze (2)	Edda Buding	6–2, 6–4
1962	Margaret Smith	Karen Hantze Susman	6–3, 6–4
1963	Margaret Smith (2)	Darlene Hard	6–1, 6–1
1964	Billie Jean Moffitt	Nancy Richey	7–5, 3–6, 8–6
1965	Billie Jean Moffitt (2)	Jane Albert	7–5, 6–3
1966	Donna Floyd Fales	Rosemary Casals	5–7, 6–3, 6–0

See also

• Eastern Clay Court Championships
• Eastern Indoor Championships
• South Orange Open

References

1. Deninger, Dennis (2012). Sport on Television: The How and Why Behind What You See. New York: Routlegde. p. 11. ISBN 978-0415896757.
2. Kimball, Warren F. (December 2017). The United States Tennis Association: Raising the Game. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1-4962-0462-2.
3. "Orange Gets Classic". The Daily Record. AP. April 8, 1946. p. 12 – via Newspapers.com. The annual Eastern Grass Court Championships for men and women will be held at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club, South Orange, N. J., August 3 through 11. [...] The playoffs were held last year at the Westchester Country Club, Rye, N. Y.
4. Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 235–236. ISBN 9780047960420.
5. "Eastern Tennis to be Played at Rye". Scarsdale Inquirer. July 28, 1933. pp. 1–2 – via HRVH Historical Newspapers.
6. "Russell Extends Lead". The Bayonne Times. Vol. 100, no. 202. Bayonne, NJ. AP. August 27, 1970. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "Eastern Grass Court Championships: Tournament Roll of Honour". thetennisbase.com. Tennismem SL. Retrieved 19 November 2017.

External links

• Orange Lawn Tennis Club 1880–1980 part 1
• Orange Lawn Tennis Club 1880–1980 part 2
• Orange Lawn Tennis Club 1880–1980 part 3
• Orange Lawn Tennis Club 1880–1980 part 4