Wright, Beals
Beals Colemen Wright
Born: December 19, 1879
Died: August 23, 1961
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Citizenship: United States
Handed: Left
Inducted: 1956
Grand Slam Record
U.S. Singles 1905
Singles finalist 1901, 06, 08
Doubles 1904-06
Doubles finalist 1901, 08, 18
Wimbledon Doubles finalist 1907
Tournament Record
Olympic Gold Medal Singles 1904
Gold Medal Doubles 1904
Davis Cup Team Member 1905, 1907-08, 1911
Before the turn of the century, Beals Coleman Wright was a national champion, winning the Interscholastic singles for Boston’s Hopkinson School in 1898 at 18, and repeating the following year when he made his first of 11 entries in the U.S. Top Ten at No. 8. In 1900 his brother won the Interscholastic for the same school.
In 1905, dethroning Holcombe Ward, he was the second lefty to win the U.S. singles following Bob Wrenn. He had to beat the future champ Bill Clothier, 9-7, 6-2, 6-2, and than ex-champ Bill Larned, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2, plus Clarence Hobart to reach the challenge round to topple Ward 6-2, 6-1, 11-9.
Extremely aggressive, Wright received inside the baseline and approached with his returns and serves. Few liked to play against his fiendish chop and wide-spinning serve.
His biggest year was 1905. It included one of his three U.S. doubles titles (with Ward), and Davis Cup victories over Australian greats Tony Wilding, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, and Norman Brookes 12-10, 5-7, 12-10, 6-4, that sent the U.S. into a losing Cup round against Britain. In 1908 he beat those two again, even more stunning victories since it was the Davis Cup finale at Melbourne, their home turf. But it wasn’t enough in a 3-2 defeat. He was born December 19, 1879, in Boston, lived in Brookline, MA, and died August 23, 1961, in Alton, IL. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1956.
