Beals Coleman Wright (December 19, 1879 – August 23, 1961) was an American

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

player who was active at the end of the 1890s and early 1900s. He won the singles title at the 1905 U.S. National Championships. Wright was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the older brother of American tennis player

Irving Wright Irving Christian Wright (1882–1953) was an American male tennis player who was active in the early 20th century. Career In 1907 Irving won the Long Island Lawn Tennis Championship. In 1917 he won the U.S. National Championship mixed doubles ...

Anthony Wilding and Beals Wright, Wimbledon 1910

Biography

Beals was born in Boston, Massachusetts on December 19, 1879 to

George Wright George Wright may refer to: Politics, law and government * George Wright (MP) (died 1557), MP for Bedford and Wallingford * George Wright (governor) (1779–1842), Canadian politician, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island * George Wright ...

, the shortstop for the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867� ...

and founder of the sporting goods store Wright & Ditson. Beals was the brother of

, the 1917 and 1918 U.S. Championship men's doubles champion. Together they won the men's doubles title at the Canadian Tennis Championship four times (1902, 1903, 1904, 1905). Beals was the nephew of baseball pioneer

Harry Wright William Henry "Harry" Wright (January 10, 1835 – October 3, 1895) was an English-born American professional baseball player, manager, and developer. He assembled, managed, and played center field for baseball's first fully professional team, t ...

. In 1899 Beals Wright traveled with his father to California where he played at the Delmonte Tennis Championship in

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

. George Wright managed the team the same year he coached at Harvard. Two Harvard University players participated in the DelMonte Tournament-the first time east coast players took on California tennis champions. Wright played at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics and won gold medals in both the singles and doubles competition. He also won three consecutive singles titles (1904–1906) at the tournament now known as the

Cincinnati Masters The Cincinnati Masters or Cincinnati Open (branded as the Western & Southern Open for sponsorship reasons) is an annual outdoor hardcourt tennis event held in Mason, Ohio near Cincinnati. The event started on September 18, 1899, and is the ol ...

, and reached the doubles final (with Edgar Leonard) in 1904. Wright won the Canadian Tennis Championship, played in

Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the Niagara Region of O ...

, in 1902, 1903 and 1904. In 1902 he won the

Niagara International Tennis Tournament The Niagara International Tennis Tournament was a tennis tournament held in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada between 1885 and 1923. The tournament was played on outdoor grass courts at the Queen's Royal Hotel and was held in the second half of August. ...

, also played in Niagara-on-the-Lake, by defeating

Harold Hackett Harold Humphrey Hackett (July 12, 1878 – November 20, 1937) was an American tennis player. Biography Born in Hingham, Massachusetts, but a long-time resident of New York, Hackett turned in his best results in doubles with Fred Alexander. Begin ...

in the final in five sets and the default of

Raymond Little Raymond Demorest Little (January 5, 1880 – July 29, 1932) was an American tennis player. He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 eleven times between 1900 and 1912, his highest ranking coming in 1907 when he was ranked No. 4. He played on the United ...

in the challenge round. Wright's most important victory came in 1905 when he won the men's singles title at the U.S. National Championships by defeating reigning champion

Holcombe Ward Holcombe Ward (November 23, 1878 – January 23, 1967) was an American tennis player who was active during the last years of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th. He won the U.S. National Championships singles title in 1904 and add ...

in the Challenge Round in straight sets 6–2, 6–1, 11–9. In 1915 he was hit by an errant baseball during a baseball game. In 1921 he was arrested following a car accident. Beals Wright was inducted in the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

in 1956. He died in

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...

on August 23, 1961.

Playing style

In their book ''R.F. and H.L. Doherty - On Lawn Tennis (1903)'' multiple Wimbledon champions Reginald and Lawrence Doherty described Wright's playing style: ''On Lawn Tennis'' - 1903

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 4 (1 title, 3 runners-up)

Doubles: 7 (3 titles, 4 runners-up)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Beals 1879 births 1961 deaths American male tennis players Olympic gold medalists for the United States in tennis People from Alton, Illinois Tennis players from Boston International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Tennis players at the 1904 Summer Olympics United States National champions (tennis) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics