Keith Gledhill (February 16, 1911 – June 2, 1999) 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 of the 1930s.

Playing career

In 1929 Gledhill won the national junior singles and, partnering

Ellsworth Vines Henry Ellsworth Vines Jr. (September 28, 1911 – March 17, 1994) was an American tennis champion of the 1930s, the World No. 1 player or the co-No. 1 in 1932, 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1937, able to win Pro Slam titles on three different surfaces. ...

, doubles title. He attended

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

and in 1931, became the second Stanford player to win the NCAA Men's Singles Championship. In 1932, Gledhill and partner Joe Coughlin won the NCAA Doubles Championship. In

Grand Slam Grand Slam most often refers to: * Grand Slam (tennis), one player or pair winning all four major annual tournaments, or the tournaments themselves Grand Slam or Grand slam may also refer to: Games and sports * Grand slam, winning category te ...

events, Gledhill and partner

won the doubles championship at the U.S. Championships in 1932. Six months later, Gledhill and Vines won the 1933

Australian Championships The Australian Open is a tennis tournament held annually at Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Australia. The tournament is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events held each year, preceding the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open ...

doubles title. In that tournament, Gledhill also recorded his best Grand Slam singles result. In the quarter finals, Gledhill was 2 sets to 0 and 5–3 down against the finalist of the previous three years,

Harry Hopman Henry Christian Hopman CBE (12 August 1906 – 27 December 1985) was an Australian tennis player and coach. Early life Harry Hopman was born on 12 August 1906 in Glebe, Sydney as the third child of John Henry Hopman, a schoolteacher, and Jen ...

, but fought back to win. Gledhill then beat

Vivian McGrath Vivian Erzerum Bede McGrath (17 February 1916 – 9 April 1978) was a tennis champion from Australia. Along with John Bromwich, he was one of the early great players to use a two-handed backhand. His name was pronounced "McGraw". Biography ...

before losing in the final to Jack Crawford. In 1930 and 1933 Gledhill reached the final in the singles event of the

Pacific Coast Championships The Pacific Coast Championships was an annual men's tennis tournament. It was the second-oldest ongoing tennis tournament in the United States and ran from 1889 until 2013. Its final edition, known by its sponsored name SAP Open, was an ATP World ...

on Los Angeles, but lost both finals to

George Lott George Martin Lott (October 16, 1906 – December 3, 1991) was an American tennis player and tennis coach who was born in Springfield, Illinois, United States. Lott is mostly remembered as being one of the greatest doubles players of all time. H ...

and Lester Stoefen respectively. Gledhill turned professional in early 1934 and joined a tour with

Bill Tilden William Tatem Tilden II (February 10, 1893 – June 5, 1953), nicknamed "Big Bill", was an American tennis player. Tilden was the world No. 1 amateur for six consecutive years, from 1920 to 1925, and was ranked as the world No. 1 professional ...

and Vines.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 runner-up)

Doubles (2 titles)

References

External links

* 1911 births 1999 deaths American male tennis players Australian Championships (tennis) champions Sportspeople from Santa Barbara, California Stanford Cardinal men's tennis players Tennis people from California United States National champions (tennis) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Professional tennis players before the Open Era 20th-century American people {{US-tennis-bio-stub