Inaugural National Championships held

The 1935 Men’s Champions Clifford D. Couch and S. D. Kilmarx on the right and finalists J. N. Hynson and Charles O’Hearn.
The 1935 Men’s Champions Clifford D. Couch and S. D. Kilmarx on the right and finalists J. N. Hynson and Charles O’Hearn.
New York Sun reports on the first National Championships New York Sun reports on the first National Championships. New York Times covers first Men’s National Championship New York Times covers first Men’s National Championship

1935

In 1935, the American Paddle Tennis Association started conducting a series of annual championship tournaments, held during January, February and March—the height of the season. Included for the first three years were Men’s and Women’s singles championships. But interest waned and singles were dropped in 1938. Blanchard claimed early on that paddle really was just a doubles game.

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944

For the first five years, with one exception, teams from the Fox Meadow Tennis Club of Scarsdale dominated these tournaments, occupying both the winning and runner-up positions. By 1940, there were 17 member clubs in the APTA, most of which entered teams in the men’s doubles. However, the experience and a large number of quality teams from the Scarsdale contingent kept them at the top of the heap. The one exception came in 1936 when a strong team from Orange, NJ, Harold D. Holmes and Richard G. Newell took the championship.

Source: Fessenden S. Blanchard, Paddle Tennis, 1944

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