| Full name | Samuel Match |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United States |
| Born | January 3, 1923 Los Angeles, United States |
| Died | January 23, 2010(2010-01-23) (aged 87) Redondo Beach, California, United States |
| Turned pro | 1954 (amateur tour from 1940) |
| Retired | 1968 |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 (1949) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | 3R (1946,1947,1949) |
| Professional majors | |
| US Pro | QF (1954) |
| Doubles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 4 (1948) |
| Last updated on: October 1, 2012. | |
Samuel Match (January 3, 1923 – January 23, 2010)[1] was an Americantennis player. He was born inLos Angeles,California.
Match was ranked among the top ten amateur players in the United States in 1948, 1949, and 1950 in both singles and doubles play.[2][3]Lawn Tennis and Badminton magazine ranked him as the 12th-best professional player for the year 1955.
Match was born inLos Angeles, California, and was Jewish.[4][5][6] He attendedLos Angeles High School.[7]
He was the California state junior champion at age 18.[8]
He was a radio operator for three years in theUnited States Army Air Corps while inGuam, and played and lost toBobby Riggs in the finals of the Army-Navy Championships in 1945.[3]
In 1947, playing doubles forRice University, Match along with his doubles partner Bob Curtis beatHerbert Flam andGene Garrett of UCLA 6–4, 8–10, 3–6, 6–2, 7–5 to win theNCAA doubles title.[9][10]
Match twice defeated US No. 1,Pancho Gonzales. The first time was 1948 at Newport, Rhode Island,[11] and the second time was in 1949 atRiver Oaks in Houston.[3] He was a terrific player with classicgroundstrokes.
As an amateur, Match won at La Jolla, California, on February 16, 1948; at Philadelphia in 1948; and at the Utah State Open in 1948 and 1949.
In 1949, playing for theUniversity of San Francisco, Jack Tuero of Tulane beat Match in five sets in the finals of the NCAA tournament. Match andArt Larsen lost the doubles championship in the finals.[9][12]
Match was the runner-up in La Jolla (March 19, 1950), the California State in San Francisco (May 21, 1950), the Colorado State in Denver (June 9, 1950), and in Salt Lake City (July 2, 1950).[13]
Match's first appearance in a professional tournament was at the California State Pro inBeverly Hills, California (August 11–16, 1953).[14]
Match was inducted into the University of San Francisco Athletic Hall of Fame.[3]
In 1991, Match was inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame.[15][3]
Match was inducted in 2000 into theSouthern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[8]
In 2005, he was honored as one of the University of San Francisco's 75 greatest athletic legends.[citation needed]