| Country (sports) |  United States |
|---|---|
| Born | December 22, 1909 New York City, NY, US |
| Died | October 13, 1987(1987-10-13) (aged 77) |
| Turned pro | 1926 (amateur circuit) |
| Retired | 1939 |
| College | Lehigh University |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 10 |
| Highest ranking | No. 8 in USTA Singles (1928) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| US Open | 4R (1929) |
Julius "Julie" Seligson (December 22, 1909, inNew York City – October 13, 1987) was an Americantennis player in the early part of the 20th century.
Seligson was ranked as high as # 8 in USTA Singles in 1928.[1] In 1928 he won theNCAA Men's Tennis Championship in singles. He was inducted into theIntercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
Seligson was born in New York City, New York, and was Jewish, and experiencedanti-Semitism in tennis.[2][3][4][5] He attendedColumbia Grammar & Preparatory School.[4]
In 1937 he married Gertrude "Gerry" Seligson (nee Goodman).[6] They lived inWestport, Connecticut, from 1948 on.[7][6]
As a junior he was the national boy's 18-and-under champion in 1925 and 1926.[7] In 1927 he won theEastern Grass Court Championships.
He played collegiate tennis atLehigh University inPennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1930.[3][8] Seligson never lost a regular season match.[8] In 1928 he won theNCAA Men's Tennis Championship in singles, beating Ben Gorchakoff 6–1, 6–1, 6–1, to become Lehigh’s first individual national champion.[9][8][2] He won 66 straight matches, before losing in the 1930 NCAA finals 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 8–6 toCliff Sutter ofTulane.[8][7]
He won the NCAA indoor singles championship in 1928, 1929, and 1930.[8] Seligson won the inaugural edition of theEastern Grass Court Championships in 1927 at theWestchester Country Club in Rye, N.Y. That same season he was runner-up at the inauguralEastern Clay Court Championships at the Jackson Heights Tennis Club in Queens, N.Y. and also won theKings County Championships in Brooklyn.
In 1928, 1930, and 1932 he won the New York Metropolitan Clay Court Championships.[10] Seligson also won the Metropolitan Grass Court Championships in 1928 defeatingBerkeley Bell in the final in four sets. In 1928 and 1930, he was a singles finalist at theU.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships. In 1929, at theCincinnati Masters, he reached the singles final, where he lost toHerbert Bowman in four sets: 6–2, 4–6, 4–6, 1–6. Seligson was ranked as high as # 8 in USTA Singles in 1928.[1]
In 1992, he was inducted into the Lehigh University Athletic Hall of Fame, and in 2002 he was enshrined into theIntercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.[8][11]
After graduation he became an insurance broker.[10]
Seligson died in 1987 of amelanoma at his home inWestport, Connecticut. He was 77 years old.[12][8]