Eastern Clay Court Championships

The Eastern Clay Court Championships^[1][2] was a combined men's and women's international tennis tournament on clay courts founded in 1927 by the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association of the USLTA. The championships were held in various locations in the New York City area, U.S. until 1971.

The Eastern Clay Court Championships were founded in 1927 under the aegis of the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association (the New York City regional chapter of the USLTA).^[3][4] That same year of 1927, the Eastern Lawn Tennis Association also inaugurated the Eastern Grass Court Championships, usually played in August. The list of champions and runners-up for the two tournaments contained many names common to both events.

The Eastern Clay Court tournaments were usually played in late June and early July, often conflicting with the Wimbledon Championships schedule for player participation and news coverage.

The early editions were played in New York City at the Jackson Heights Tennis Club, Queens N.Y..^[5][6]

The Eastern Clay Court Championships were later held in different locations in the New York City area including such venues as the Westchester Country Club (currently HarTru clay courts) in the early 1950s.^[7] The Westchester Country Club had also hosted the Eastern Grass Court Championships tennis tournament from 1927 until 1945.^[8]

In the 1954-1969 period the location was the Oritani Field Club in Hackensack, N.J.^[9] The Hackensack clay court traditions are currently being revived.^[10] The final venue in the early 1970s was in Port Washington, New York City.

The title was won by such champions as Herbert Bowman, Gregory Mangin, Berkeley Bell, J. Gilbert Hall, Bobby Riggs, Pancho Segura, Frank Parker (who won the title four times), Bill Talbert, Dick Savitt, Sidney Schwartz, Eddie Moylan, J. Allen Morris, Ron Holmberg, Robert Bédard, Arthur Ashe, Frank Froehling, and Antonio Palafox.

Other notable players who participated without winning the singles title but finishing as runner-up included Julius Seligson, Frank Bowden, Clifford Sutter, Sidney Wood, Don McNeill (runner-up in both 1937 and 1950), Frank Shields, Frank Kovacs, Ted Schroeder, Gene Mako, Gardnar Mulloy, Tony Vincent, and Gene Scott all of whom were strong clay court players.

Frank Parker holds the record for most titles (4). The 1969 champion, Peter Fishbach, was the son of the 1938 runner-up, Joe Fishbach.

Year	Location	Champions	Runners-up	Score
1927	Queens	Herbert Bowman	Julius Seligson	6–4, 5–7, 6–1, 9–7
1928		Gregory Mangin	Herbert Bowman	6–1, 6–2, 1–6, 6–3
1929		Herbert Bowman (2)	Edgar Dawson	6–1, 6–4, 6–1
1930		Herbert Bowman (3)	Frank Bowden	6–3, 6–2, 6–2
1931		Samuel Gilpin	Ralph De Mott	7–5, 6–2, 6–1
1932		Berkeley Bell	Lawrence Kurzrok	4–6, 7–5, 8–6, 6–4
1933		J. Gilbert Hall	Frank Shields	6–2, 7–5, 6–4
1934		J. Gilbert Hall (2)	Clifford Sutter	6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2
1935		Berkeley Bell (2)	Leonard Hartman	8–6, 7–5, 6–2
1936		Bobby Riggs	John Richard Law	6–3, 6–0, 6–4
1937		John McDiarmid	Don McNeill	6–3, 1–6, 6–4, 0–6, 6–3
1938		Jeff Podesta	Joseph Fishbach	6–3, 6–2, 2–6, 6–1
1939		Jeff Podesta (2)	Marvin Wachman	6–4, 7–5, 6–2
1940		Frank Parker	Frank Kovacs	6–2, 7–5, 6–1
1941		Frank Parker (2)	Gene Mako	6–2, 6–2, 6–0
1942		Pancho Segura	Ted Schroeder	7–5, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3
1943		Not held
1944		Not held
1945		Elwood Cooke	Sidney Wood	8–6, 6–4, 7–5
1946		Frank Parker (3)	Gardnar Mulloy	6–2, 7–5, 6–1
1947		Ladislav Hecht	Dick Savitt	6–4, 4–6, 6–0, 7–5
1948		Frank Parker (4)	Billy Talbert	6–3, 8–6, 6–2
1949	New Rochelle	Billy Talbert	Eddie Moylan	4–6, 11-9, 2–6, 6–1, 6–2
1950	Rye	Dick Savitt	Don McNeill	6–4, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
1951		Sidney Schwartz	George Ball	6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1
1952	Not held
1953	Not held
1954	Hackensack	Eddie Moylan	Jerry DeWitts	6–0, 6–2, 6–4
1955		Eddie Moylan (2)	Ron Holmberg	6–3, 6–2, 6–0
1956		Eddie Moylan (3)	Sidney Schwartz	6–0, 3–6, 6–0, 8–6
1957		Ron Holmberg	Tony Vincent	1–6, 8–6, 6–1, 6–3
1958		Gerald Moss	Sidney Schwartz	3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–2
1959		J. Allen Morris	Don Rubell	6–0, 5–7, 6–2, 6–2
1960		Robert Bédard	Gene Scott	1–6, 14-12, 2–6, 6–4, 6–2
1961		Arthur Ashe[11]	Bob Barker	6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1962		Sidney Schwartz (2)	Herb Fitzgibbon	6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3
1963		Lex Wood	Dick Raskind	7–5, 6–2, 6–2
1964		Herb Fitzgibbon	David George Sanderlin	8–6, 6–1, 6–4
1965		Not held
1966		Frank Froehling	Herb Fitzgibbon	3–6, 6–2, 4–6, 6–1, 6–4
1967		Not held
1968		Ed Austin	Steve Siegel	6–4, 6–4, 6–2
1969		Peter Fishbach	Don Rubell	4–6, 6–0, 9–7, 2-1 ret.
1970	Port Washington	Antonio Palafox	Otokar Merunka	6–4, 9–7, 6–0
1971		Antonio Palafox (2)	Steve Ross	6–2, 7–5, 6–1

• Eastern Grass Court Championships
• Eastern Indoor Championships