Full name	William Hector Auguste Edmond Laurentz
Country (sports)	France
Born	(1895-02-26)26 February 1895 Paris, France
Died	7 March 1922(1922-03-07) (aged 27) Paris, France
Plays	Right-handed
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 8 (1920) byA. Wallis Myers
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon	3R (1920)
Other tournaments
WHCC	W (1920)
WCCC	W (1921)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Wimbledon	3R (1919)
Other doubles tournaments
WHCC	W (1920,1921)
WCCC	W (1919,1921)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon	QF (1919)
Other mixed doubles tournaments
WHCC	W (1920)
WCCC	F (1919)

William Laurentz (French pronunciation:[wiljamlɔʁɑ̃ts]; 26 Feb 1895 – 7 March 1922) was a French tennis player of the early 20th century whose main achievements were winning the singles title at theWorld Hard Court Championships andWorld Covered Court Championships.

Laurentz achieved his breakthrough in April 1911 at age 16 when he defeated the Wimbledon championAnthony Wilding in the final of the French Covered Court Championships in Paris.^[1]

In March 1912 he was playing in the Challenge Round of the Championship of France againstAndre Gobert when at 2–4 in the first set a ball that glanced off his racket struck him in the eye. Subsequently, the eye had to be removed.^[2][3]

He notably won the mixed doubles at theFrench Championships in 1912 and 1913, partneringDaisy Speranza, when the tournament was open only to French residents, and the singles at the International Lawn Tennis Federation's (ILTF) 1920World Hard Court Championships (WHCC). In the final of the latter, played onclay courts at theStade Français in Paris, he beat Andre Gobert in four sets. Together with Gobert he additionally won the men's doubles title at the WHCC in 1920 and 1921.^[4] In 1921 he won the singles title at theWorld Covered Court Championships (WCCC), played in Copenhagen on an indoor wood surface, beatingAlfred Beamish in the final in straight sets.

Laurentz participated at theWimbledon Championships for the first time in 1919, losing in straight sets in the first round toAlgernon Kingscote. His best Wimbledon result came the following year, 1920, when he reached the third round in which he was defeated by his compatriotJacques Brugnon in four sets. He was entered for the 1921 Championships but withdrew before his first round match against Andre Gobert.^[5]

He was ranked world No. 8 for 1920 byA. Wallis Myers ofThe Daily Telegraph.^[6] That year he won the singles title at Boulogne. In 1921 he was runner-up toManuel Alonso Areizaga in Barcelona, losing the final in straight sets.

Between 1912 and 1921 he played in five ties for the FrenchDavis Cup team and has a record of three wins and seven defeats.^[7]

Laurentz died suddenly in Paris on 7 March 1922 ofsepticaemia following uponinfluenza.^[8]

In his bookThe Art of Lawn Tennis (1920)Bill Tilden described Laurentz as "another brilliant, erratic and intensely interesting figure that France has given the tennis world..." who played mostly by instinct. Tilden describes Laurentz' service as one of "several varieties, all well played. He uses an American twist as his regular delivery, but varies it with a sharp slice, a reverse twist of great spin, and a fast cannon-ball smash." His volleying was "brilliant...but very erratic" and his overhead smashes were judged likewise. He had great fighting skills and played at his best when behind but was prone to anxiety lapses. Tilden concludes that "Laurentz might beat anyone in the world on his day or lose to the veriest dub when at his worst.".^[9]

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1920	World Hard Court Championships	Clay	Andre Gobert	9–7, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2
Win	1921	World Covered Court Championships	Wood	Alfred Beamish	6–2, 6–4, 6–2

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1919	World Covered Court Championships	Wood	André Gobert	Nicolae Mișu H. Portlock	6–1, 6–0, 6–2
Win	1920	World Hard Court Championships	Clay	André Gobert	Cecil Blackbeard Nicolae Mișu	6–4, 6–2, 6–1
Win	1921	World Covered Court Championships	Wood	Maurice Germot	Paul Henriksen Erik Tegner	6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Win	1921	World Hard Court Championships	Clay	André Gobert	Pierre Albarran Alain Gerbault	6–4, 6–2, 6–8, 6–2

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1919	World Covered Court Championships	Wood	Germaine Golding	Max Decugis Winifred Beamish	3–6, 3–6
Win	1920	World Hard Court Championships	Clay	Germaine Golding	Max Decugis Suzanne Amblard	walkover
Loss	1921	World Hard Court Championships	Clay	Germaine Golding	Max Decugis Suzanne Lenglen	3–6, 2–6

• William Laurentz at theInternational Tennis Federation
• William Laurentz at theDavis Cup (archived)

• 1895 births
• 1922 deaths
• French Championships (tennis) champions
• French male tennis players
• Tennis players from Paris
• 20th-century French sportsmen

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from April 2023
• Pages with French IPA