 Wright circa 1915 | ||||||||||||
| Full name | Beals Coleman Wright | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States | |||||||||||
| Born | December 19, 1879 Boston, Massachusetts, United States | |||||||||||
| Died | August 23, 1961(1961-08-23) (aged 81) Alton, Illinois, United States | |||||||||||
| Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) | |||||||||||
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1956(member page) | |||||||||||
| Singles | ||||||||||||
| Career record | 254–70 (78.4%)[1] | |||||||||||
| Career titles | 27[1] | |||||||||||
| Highest ranking | No. 2 (1905,ITHF)[2] | |||||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | ||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1910AC) | |||||||||||
| US Open | W (1905) | |||||||||||
| Doubles | ||||||||||||
| Career record | incomplete | |||||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | ||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | F (1907) | |||||||||||
| US Open | W (1904,1905,1906) | |||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||
Beals Coleman Wright (December 19, 1879 – August 23, 1961) was an Americantennis player who was active at the end of the 1890s and early 1900s. He won the singles title at the1905 U.S. National Championships. Wright was a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and the older brother of American tennis playerIrving Wright.[3][4]
Beals was born inBoston, Massachusetts, on December 19, 1879, toGeorge Wright, the shortstop for theCincinnati Red Stockings and founder of the sporting goods store Wright & Ditson.[5] Beals was the brother ofIrving Wright, the 1917 and 1918 U.S. Championship mixed doubles champion. Together they won the men's doubles title at the Canadian Tennis Championship four times (1902, 1903, 1904, 1905).[6] Beals was the nephew of baseball pioneerHarry Wright.
In 1899 Beals Wright traveled with his father to California where he played at the Delmonte Tennis Championship inMonterey. 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.[citation needed]
Wright played at the1904 St. Louis Olympics and won gold medals in both the singles and doubles competition.[7] He also won three consecutive singles titles (1904–1906) at the Tri-State Tennis Tournament (nowCincinnati Open), and reached the doubles final (withEdgar Leonard) in 1904.
Wright won theCanadian International Championships, played inNiagara-on-the-Lake, in 1902, 1903 and 1904.[6] In 1902 he won theNiagara International Tennis Tournament, also played in Niagara-on-the-Lake, by defeatingHarold Hackett in the final in five sets and the default ofRaymond Little in the challenge round.[8]
Wright's most important victory came in 1905 when he won the men's singles title at theU.S. National Championships by defeating reigning championHolcombe Ward in the Challenge Round in straight sets 6–2, 6–1, 11–9.[9]
In 1915 he was hit by an errant baseball during a baseball game.[10] In 1921 he was arrested following a car accident.[11]
Beals Wright was inducted in theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 1956. He died inAlton, Illinois, on August 23, 1961.[2][3]
In their bookR.F. and H.L. Doherty - On Lawn Tennis (1903) multiple Wimbledon champions Reginald and Lawrence Doherty described Wright's playing style:
Beals Wright is certainly the best in America at low volleys, and is very good overhead. His volleying is distinctly superior to his ground strokes, and his forehand somewhat stronger than his backhand. He has a good service, which he follows up to the net.
On Lawn Tennis - 1903[12]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1901 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  William Larned | 2–6, 8–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1905 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Holcombe Ward | 6–2, 6–1, 11–9 |
| Loss | 1906 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | William Clothier | 3–6, 0–6, 4–6 |
| Loss | 1908 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | William Larned | 1–6, 2–6, 6–8 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1901 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Leo Ware | Dwight DavisHolcombe Ward | 3–6, 7–9, 1–6 |
| Win | 1904 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Holcombe Ward | Kreigh CollinsRaymond Little | 1–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 1905 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Holcombe Ward | Fred AlexanderHarold Hackett | 6–4, 6–4, 6–1 |
| Win | 1906 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Holcombe Ward | Fred AlexanderHarold Hackett | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1907 | Wimbledon | Grass |  Karl Behr |  Norman Brookes Anthony Wilding | 4–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1908 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Raymond Little | Fred AlexanderHarold Hackett | 1–6, 5–7, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1918 | U.S. National Championships | Grass |  Fred Alexander | Vincent RichardsBill Tilden | 3–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–2, 2–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | P# | DNQ | A | Z# | PO | G | S | B | NMS | NTI | P | NH |
Events with a challenge round: (WC) won; (CR) lost the challenge round; (FA) all comers' finalist
| 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | SR | W–L | Win % | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Slam tournaments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| French | Only for French club members | Not held | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 4R | A | 1R | A | A | FA | A | A | A | A | Not held | 0 / 3 | 7–3 | 70.0 | ||||||
| U.S. | 3R | 2R | 3R | SF | F | 4R | 2R | QF | WC | CR | A | CR | A | FA | FA | A | A | A | A | A | A | 4R | 1 / 14 | 50–13 | 79.4 | |||
| Australian | Not held | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | Not held | 0 / 0 | 0–0 | – | ||||||||||||
| Win–loss | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 5–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 9–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 7–1 | 12–2 | 7–1 | 2–1 | 1 / 17 | 57–16 | 78.1 | ||||||||||
| National representation | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympics | Not held | A | Not held | G | Not held | A | A | Not held | A | A | Not held | 1 / 1 | 5–0 | 100.0 | ||||||||||||||
