The US Open Tennis Championships, held in Queens, New York, is set to begin on Monday, August 28. For many years, the stand-alone American Grand Slam has witnessed the triumphs of many collegiate tennis players including that of 1983 ITA Men’s Hall of Famer Tony Trabert and 1995 ITA Women’s Hall of Famer Pauline Betz Addie.
Tony Trabert –
An all-around athlete at the collegiate and professional level, Tony Trabert will forever be remembered as one of the greatest American tennis players. Prior to his time on the professional tour, Trabert competed on the men’s tennis team, winning the NCAA Championship singles title in 1951, and the men’s basketball team at the University of Cincinnati.
Following his time at Cincinnati, Trabert turned his sights on the professional tour. In 1953, Trabert took home his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Championships, now known as the US Open Championships, defeating fellow ITA Hall of Famer Vic Seixas, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. In the following year, Trabert would add the French Championships, now known as the French Open, to his Grand Slam title wins.
In 1955, Trabert would go on to achieve one of the greatest ever records by an American tennis player, winning the French Open, Wimbledon and US Championships, defeating Ken Rosewall 9-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the finals.
Trabert’s success on the singles court extended to doubles as well, winning three out of the four Grand Slam tournaments in doubles, notably the US Championships in 1955 with partner Vic Seixas, defeating Lew Hoad and Ken Rosewall 3-6, 6-4, 8-6, 6-3.
Following retirement from the tour, Trabert continued his legacy within the tennis world with a 33-year career as a tennis and golf analyst for CBS, covering events such as the US Open. He was the US Davis Cup team captain from 1976 to 1980 and served as the president of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island from 2001 to 2011. Trabert was inducted into the inaugural ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 1983.
Pauline Betz Addie –
As a four-time U.S. Open singles champion, Pauline Betz Addie was renowned for not only her success at the tournament and other professional events around the world, but for her peerless backhand and killer instinct.
Raised in Los Angeles, California, Betz Addie learned to play tennis on public courts. She was offered a scholarship to Rollins College, where she played at the No. 4 spot on the men’s team and graduated as the top economics student in 1943. Betz Addie would later go on to earn her M.A. in economics from Columbia University.
As an undergraduate student in 1942, Betz Addie won her first US Open singles title, defeating Louise Brough 4-6, 6-1, 6-4. She repeated her victory at the 1943 US Open the next year, defeating Louise Brough 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. Betz Addie would continue her streak at the US Open in 1944 with a 6-3, 8-6 victory over Maragaret Osborne and in 1946 by defeating 1995 ITA Collegiate Tennis Women’s Hall of Fame Inductee Doris Hart 11-9, 6-3.
Other awards and accolades of Betz Addie include appearing on the cover of TIME magazine, being inducted into the the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965, and having the Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center at Cabin John Regional Park in Potomac, Mayland renamed in her honor on May 1, 2008. Betz Addie was inducted into the ITA Collegiate Tennis Women’s Hall of Fame in 1995.
About the ITA Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men’s and Women’s Halls of Fame aspire to preserve and celebrate the history and further the development of intercollegiate tennis through the collection of historic memorabilia and with inductions of notable players, coaches, and contributors.
