Sam Match
Encyclopedia
Samuel "Sam" Match was an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 tennis player. He was born in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

.

Match was one of the top singles and doubles players in America in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Match was ranked in the top 10 amateur rankings in the United States in both singles and doubles from 1948-50. He was #4 in doubles (1948), #8 in singles (1949), and #10 in singles (1950). Lawn Tennis and Badminton magazine ranked him as the 12th best professional player for the year 1955.

Career

Sam Match twice defeated US #1, Pancho Gonzales
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso González , generally known as Richard "Pancho" Gonzales was an American tennis player. He was the world no. 1 professional tennis player for an unequalled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s...

. The first time was 1948 at Newport, Rhode Island and the second time was in 1949 at River Oaks in Houston. He was a terrific player with classic ground strokes.

In 1947, playing doubles for Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...

 Match along with his doubles partner Bob Curtis beat Herbert Flam
Herbert Flam
----Herbert Flam was an American tennis player.Considered to be one of the best male Jewish tennis players in history, he was ranked World No...

 and Gene Garrett of UCLA 6–4, 8-10, 3–6, 6–2, 7–5 to win the NCAA doubles title.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:3ZAziByIgIsJ:www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/ncaatennis2005/hist-doubles.php+%22sam+match%22+tennis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

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 San Francisco State College, Jack Tuero of Tulane beat Match in five sets in the finals of the NCAA tournament. Match and Art Larsen
Art Larsen
Arthur David Larsen was an American male tennis player best remembered for his victory at the U.S. Championships in 1950 and for his eccentricities...

 lost the doubles championship in the finals.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:3ZAziByIgIsJ:www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/ncaatennis2005/hist-doubles.php+%22sam+match%22+tennis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us

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).

Match's first appearance in a professional tournament was at the California State Pro in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...

 (August 11–16, 1953).

Achievements

In 1991, Match was inducted into the Rice Athletic Hall of Fame.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:ik7bLB-f3soJ:riceowls.cstv.com/hallfame/rice-hallfame.html+%22sam+match%22+tennis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us

In 2005, he was honored as one of the University of San Francisco's 75 greatest athletic legends.http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:VEsWHW1MzsYJ:usfdons.ocsn.com/genrel/101605aab.html+%22sam+match%22+tennis&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=26&gl=us

External links

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