Brian Norton
Full nameBrian Ivan Cobb Norton
Country (sports)South Africa
Born(1899-10-10)10 October 1899
Robben Island, Cape Colony
Died16 July 1956(1956-07-16) (aged 56)
Santa Clara, California, United States
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 7 (1921, A. Wallis Myers)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
WimbledonF (1921Ch)
US OpenSF (1923)
Other tournaments
WHCC2R (1920, 1923)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonSF (1921, 1922)
US OpenW (1923)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
WimbledonSF (1920)

Brian Ivan Cobb Norton (10 October 1899 – 16 July 1956), nicknamed "Babe", was a South African tennis player.[2] He was born in Cape Colony and died in Santa Clara, California. At Wimbledon 1921, Norton beat Frank Hunter and Manuel Alonso Areizaga, before having two championship points in the Challenge Round against Bill Tilden but losing in five sets.[3] Norton is one of only two men to hold championship point in a Grand Slam men's singles final and yet not win a title (the other is Guillermo Coria at the 2004 French Open. Norton won the 1923 U.S. National Championships doubles, alongside Tilden. In the singles that year, Norton beat R. Norris Williams in a five-set quarterfinal, then lost to Tilden in the semifinals.[4]

After Norton, the next South African citizen to reach the gentlemen's singles final at Wimbledon would be Kevin Anderson 97 years later in 2018. Although another South African-born tennis player, Kevin Curren, had reached the Wimbledon final in 1985 against Boris Becker (Germany), Curren played as a U.S. (American) citizen.

He competed in the singles and doubles events at the 1920 Summer Olympics.[5] Norton was ranked World No. 7 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph in 1921 and 1922.[1][6]

In 1921, he won the singles title at the South of England Championships after a five-set victory in the final against Mohammed Sleem.[7]

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 runner-up)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1921 Wimbledon Championships Grass United States Bill Tilden 6–4, 6–2, 1–6, 0–6, 5–7

Doubles (1 title)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1923 U.S. National Championships Grass United States Bill Tilden United States Richard Williams
United States Watson Washburn 		3–6, 6–2, 6–3, 5–7, 6–2

References

  1. ^ a b "Tilden First on Tennis Star List", The Pittsburgh Press, 4 December 1921.
  2. ^ "Brian Norton". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Wimbledon player profile – Brian Norton". AELTC.
  4. ^ Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 486. ISBN 978-1-937559-38-0.
  5. ^ "Olympics – Players – Brian Norton". SportsReference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Half World's Best Racqueteers Yankees Says British Expert", The Deseret News, 12 April 1922.
  7. ^ "Curious Lawn Tennis Final". The Express and Telegraph. Vol. LVIII, no. 17, 490. South Australia. 17 November 1921. p. 3. Retrieved 24 October 2016 – via National Library of Australia.

External links

US Open men's doubles champions
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