Surface of original French Championships (1891-1925)

[newmark401]

Update

Following more research, it has been possible to find more information about the early years of the women's singles event at the Closed French Championships, including several additional scores. Below is the new list of known finalists and scores, with each year accompanied by either a "Verified" or "Not verified" depending on the reliability of the source(s). One of the main sources is the book "La Fabuleuse Histoire de Roland Garros" (2007), by Patrice Dominguez (1950-2015), the late French player turned administrator and commentator.

As previously stated, the venue for this tournament tended to vary in the early years and a Challenge Round was in force in later years. However, from 1910 onwards the venue was always the Racing Club de France.
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Women's singles champions at Closed French Championships (1897-1914)

1897 FI: Adine Masson d. Mme P. Girod 6-3, 6-1. Verified.
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1898 Adine Masson enters but is unchallenged as champion. Verified.
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1899 Adine Masson enters again but is again unchallenged as champion. Verified.
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1900 Yvonne Prévost is the only entrant and thus champion without playing a match. Verified.
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1901 FI: Mme P. Girod d. Mlle Leroux 6-1, 6-1. Verified.
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1902 FI: Adine Masson d. Mme P. Girod 6-0, 6-1. Mme P. Girod, the holder, played through. Verified.
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1903 FI: Adine Masson d. Kate Gillou 6-0, 6-8, 6-0. Masson is champion for the fifth and last time. Verified.
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1904 Kate Gillou beats Adine Masson in the final match. The finalists are verified, but the score is not clear.
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1905 FI: Kate Gillou d. Yvonne de Pfeffel 6-0, 11-9. This might just have been a handicap event. Verified.
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1906 Kate Fenwick (née Gillou) d. Virginia MacVeagh (USA). The finalists are verified, but the score is not clear.
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1907 FI: Countess Thérèse de Kermel d. Catherine d'Aliney d'Elva 6-1, retired. Not verified.
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1908 FI: Kate Fenwick d. A. Péan 6-2, 6-2. Verified.
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1909 FI: Jeanne Matthey d. Abeille Gallay 10-8, 6-4. Verified.
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1910 FI: Jeanne Matthey d. Germaine Régnier 1-6, 6-1, 9-7. Verified.
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1911 FI: Jeanne Matthey d. Marguerite Broquedis 6-2, 7-5. Verified.
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1912 FI: Jeanne Matthey d. Marie Danet 6-2, 7-5. This is Jeanne Matthey's fourth consecutive and last win in the singles event. Verified.
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1913 FI: Marguerite Broquedis d. Jeanne Matthey 6-3, 6-3. Verified.
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1914 FI: Marguerite Broquedis d. Suzanne Lengen 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. Verified.
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[Nadal_Power]

Your work is outstanding.. thanks

 

[krosero]

This piece from American Lawn Tennis describes the surface at St. Cloud in detail.

And it confirms a story I've expressed skepticism about, concerning an ace by Tilden that would have won him the French Championship but was overruled by Cochet.

It was written by Stephen Wallis Merrihew, as ALT's main report of the '27 French Championships.

JEAN RENE LACOSTE is Champion of France as well as of the United States. He won the title by a victory over William T. Tilden, II, in a match that required more than three hours of play, and which was marked by incidents sensational and at times threatening to become tragic. In the fifth set Tilden, who had led at two sets to one, was match point twice in the eighteenth game, and the fate of the battle hung on a trigger decision given by Henri Cochet, a service that would have been an ace and ended the match in Tilden’s favor had it not been adjudged “out.” Prior to that Lacoste had been attacked by such severe cramps in his right leg that it might have resulted in the withdrawal of a man less plucky and determined than the Frenchman. That was the turning point in the match. Lacoste won his service and then Tilden’s….

The courts, some half dozen of them being used for tournament purposes, are similar in appearance and equipment to those at the Racing Club. They are all level and true, and the top dressing is the famous Tennisol furnished by [Charles] Bouhana of Paris and proof against any amount of rainfall. It does not make any difference how much water comes from the heavens, it need only stop, and play will be resumed, after a little of the reddish-brown dressing has been spread on the court. Indeed, it is not always necessary for the rain to stop; play frequently goes on during a smart shower. It is doubtful whether anything like these courts exists elsewhere in the world….

Entering upon the fifth set both men put everything they had into the struggle. The first two games went against the service, and then the delivery won to 4-all. The end was near, but victory seemed to belong to either one. The play was as before, the rallies being frequent and long, Lacoste being the steadier and Tilden the more brilliant and variable; he was also scoring service aces, although his first delivery was still failing to find the service court. Tilden’s win of the sixth game was at love and it ended with a service ace. Lacoste won the seventh, and the eight was another tremendous one. Tilden was 0-30, but he got to the net and volleyed and then forced Lacoste to drive out. Deuce and advantage were reached, and a service ace of Tilden’s was vitiated by the calling of a foot fault on him; but Lacoste netted and it was 4-all. In this game Tilden failed to get a first service in. Lacoste got to 5-4, passing Tilden as the latter came to the net for the last point. In the tenth game the calling of another foot fault by Muhr angered Tilden, and he crashed over three service aces, and the score was 5-all.

Tilden’s anger continued and he won the eleventh game for a 6-5 lead forcing Lacoste all the way. His service was to follow, and that was all he needed for the match. But Lacoste again stood firm and evened at 6-all, helped by a timely return of a lob. He won his own service for a 7-6 lead, but Tilden was also equal to the task. A pass as Lacoste came to the net, a peaceful service that Lacoste drove out, a volley and a timely net cord stroke, made it 7-all. Lacoste won the next game and was 8-7, but Tilden scored the next game at love. Lacoste was limping again. After deuce he came to the net, and Tilden passed him with a magnificent backhand drive. He was now 9-8, with his service to follow. Errors by Lacoste gave Tilden a lead of 40-15. A drive that would have been a winner made it 40-30. Then came the real culminating point of the match. Tilden crashed the service to Lacoste’s sideline, apparently with success, and he thought the match was over: but Cochet called “fault” and it was all to do over. Lacoste got the next service back, and Tilden finally netted.

That practically ended the match. Tilden, with victory in hand, more tired than Lacoste, whose leg was now all right, felt the effect of his tremendous effort, mentally as well as physically, while Lacoste was correspondingly uplifted and now became the attacker. The rest is soon told. Lacoste ended the game with a fine volley, making it 9-all. Both men were erring in the nxt game, but Lacoste finally won it and led at 10-9. At 30-all in the next game, Tilden missed a volley and then serviced a double fault, the second service just missing the line and being one of the few that had done so. Game, set and match for Lacoste.​

Later in that same issue, in the section of notes entitled “Talks with Readers”:

Tilden has greatly enjoyed his more than two weeks in Paris. He thinks that it is the most beautiful city in the world. In 1921, the only other year he was here, he was very ill, unfit for playing tennis and most everything else. Consequently Paris was almost a nightmare to him. All that has changed.

* * * *

Is William T. Tilden, II, supposed to be better on grass than on clay and hard courts? This interesting question was put to Bill on June 6, the last day of the French Championship. He was also asked what his preference was. He replied, categorically and with some emphasis, that he liked grass better than hard courts and that he believed his game to be much better on turf. This has always been my opinion. The former champion is a grass product, so to say. His home club is the Germantown Cricket Club, and there and at the other big Philadelphia clubs he played most of his tennis, on grass, prior to his becoming champion of the United States. It is quite easy to understand his preference for grass. He is a master of the art of putting spin on the ball, and this is very much more effective on grass than on any other surface.

* * * *

Tilden had several chances to win the big match with Lacoste. He was 9-8 in the fifth set and 40-15. A drive that would have been a winner caught the net and failed to go over. For the next point he served one of his “cannon balls” from the left court, but Cochet, who was taking that line, called it a fault. Later he came to Tilden in the dressing room and said that the ball had just missed the line. On such a small thing as a fraction of an inch does the fate of a big match depend.​

And Merrihew in ALT, ten years later:

It was with high hopes that Bill Tilden crossed the Atlantic in 1927, after an absence of five years. He had but one fear—that his injured knee might go back on him. Otherwise he was carefree and confident. It is the irony of fate that although his knee held up his ability to press on to victory when in a commanding position had left him almost entirely. The prescient J Cecil Parke remarked on this fact after Tilden’s failure to beat Cochet at Wimbledon in 1927.

It is on record that Bill won his seventh American championship in 1929, after having lost it in 1926; and he scored at Wimbledon again in 1930, his last previous win having been in 1921. But 1927 and 1928, as well as 1929 by comparison, were disastrous in the extreme to Bill and illustrated the great asset that was formerly his. Bill led Rene Lacoste at two sets to one in the 1927 French championship and eventually lost the match in the fifth set. He had been match point, and his service, in the opinion of many good judges, pitched on the side service line but was called a fault by Henri Cochet, the linesman. Thereafter it was curtains for Bill. A few weeks later, at Wimbledon, Bill led Cochet at 5-1 in the third set (having won the first two), but he lost again.​

 

[newmark401]

^^^^ Nice pieces. Can you imagine how a player would react nowadays in a situation such as the one in which Tilden found himself back in 1927? Mind you, nowadays the umpire would probably just come down from the chair and check the mark left by the ball on the court.
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[krosero]

^^^^ Nice pieces. Can you imagine how a player would react nowadays in a situation such as the one in which Tilden found himself back in 1927? Mind you, nowadays the umpire would probably just come down from the chair and check the mark left by the ball on the court.
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And imagine the level of insanity that would ensue on a tennis message board.

Another piece, this one written by Tilden, about the US/France tie at St. Cloud a couple of weeks earlier:

The American tennis team has just lost the team match to France 3 matches to 2. Yet we cannot feel downhearted about the result because in two of the matches we lost, Hunter against Borotra, and in the doubles, we were within hailing distance of victory….

The center court at St. Cloud is splendid in every way. Dark red in color, with plenty of room around it, a fine seating capacity of at least 4,000, all of which was jammed for the matches. A gate in excess of 300,000 francs ($12,000) set a record for international tennis in France. A most distinguished gallery attended the matches….

My match with Lacoste was a baseline battle with occasional net attacks by me. This added factor to my game proved just enough, for on that day I was as steady as he was and a shade more severe. He made a marvelous bid for victory in the second set. After trailing 1-5, he braced and pulled up to 5-all, but a sudden burst of speed and volleying carried me to victory at 6-4, 7-5.

The doubles match against Borotra and Brugnon proved the turning point of the series. We opened at our best and, after a hard fought ten games, had the crucial opening set tucked away to our credit 6-4. It looked as if we would win but we counted without Borotra. In the last two sets he was a raging demon at the net. He was all over the court, volleying, smashing and driving, taking full advantage of the openings that Brugnon made for him. He was marvelous. We held game point in each of the first three games of the second set, but lost them all. We won the fourth and might have been 4-0 up instead of 3-1 down, but that was the end. We fought hard and earnestly but we could not stem the tide and the French hung up the crucial match 4-6, 6-2, 6-2….

The galleries were very large, very boisterous but also very friendly. Naturally they wanted France to win and showed it, but they were always generous to us and cheered our good play as heartily, if not as riotously as they did that of the French. The umpiring and lining was uniformly good and the management of the matches was excellent in every detail.​

The New York Times wrote that Lacoste "showed the strain of trying to guess in what direction Bill’s shots would be sent. The first set was distinguished by an almost total lack of net play, but the second rapidly developed into a moving net duel between the two keen rivals."

 

[krosero]

I think even in this Tilden victory you could see what Merrihew was talking about, when he said that Tilden had lost his ability to close. Tilden was up 5-1 in the second set but only won it 7-5. Full credit to Lacoste, but it means that Tilden failed to serve out the match twice in a row.

 

[newmark401]

I have updated section 151 above to include the first names of some more of the players. The existence of Yvonne Prévost has been confirmed. There might well have been no Hélène Prévost.
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[newmark401]

Update

French National Championships (1891-1914)

The increasing availability during the past decade of relevant sources, in particular French-language newspapers and sports magazines, has made possible the collection of additional results and other information from the early years of the French National Championships tournament (1891-1914). This means that most of the first names and maiden names of participants in the tournament and the results of the final matches in each of the five main events as well as, in many cases, the complete draws from each of those events, have now been found.

Although the draws in many of the earliest years were quite small, the fact that until 1908 or so individual events were sometimes held on one single day, while different events were sometimes held at different venues, made finding related information very difficult. That said, the availability of a publication such as L’Auto-Vélo eased the task significantly. This French-language sports magazine, freely accessible online, was devoted mainly to cycling and motor sports, but also took other sports such as lawn tennis seriously and in the first decade of the twentieth century in particular followed the development of the French National Championships tournament in a serious and consistent manner.

The fuller picture of the French National Championships thus now available makes clear that, although this tournament was quite small in its earliest years, and as late as 1901 was still being called the ‘Interclub Championships’ in some sources, it tended to attract the best of the French players in most years. (The tournament was open both to French players and foreign players who were members of a French lawn tennis club.)

The main venues for the French National Championships during its early years were the Tennis Club de Paris (founded in 1895) and the lawn tennis courts at the sports club on the Île de Puteaux (founded in 1886); the latter club is located on an island in the Seine near central Paris. An outdoor, clay court tournament, the French National Championships tended to be held in late May or early June, although, as already mentioned, up until 1908 or so, events were usually held separately, at different times and in different venues.

Uniquely in 1909, the tournament was held outside Paris, at the Club de la Villa Primrose in Bordeaux. Homogenous in nature, like the typical one week-long tournament, the edition of 1909 probably inspired the future holding of the French National Championships within one week or so at a single venue. This was certainly the case for the tournament from 1910 onwards, when the venue was usually the Racing Club de France (founded in 1882 as the Racing Club) in Paris.

A Challenge Round came into force at the French National Championships in 1910 or 1911. This meant that the holder(s) in a particular event did not have to play through what was then known as the All-Comers’ event, but could instead ‘sit out’ until the last match, the Challenge Round, to face the player(s) who had won the All-Comers’ event. An asterisk (*) below indicates that in the year in question there was no Challenge Round because the defending champion(s) did not appear to defend a particular title. The Challenge Round was abolished at the French National Championships in 1922.
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Men’s singles event

1891 H. Briggs (GB) d. Paul Baignères 6-3 6-4
1892 Jean Schopfer d. Francis L. Fassitt (USA) 6-2 1-6 6-2
1893 Laurent Riboulet d. Jean Schopfer 6-3 6-3
1894 André Vacherot d. Georges Brosselin 1-6 6-2 6-3
1895 André Vacherot d. Laurent Riboulet 9-7 6-2
1896 André Vacherot d. Georges Brosselin 6-1 7-5
1897 Paul Aymé d. Archibald Warden (GB) 4-6 6-4 6-2
1898 Paul Aymé d. Paul Lebreton 5-7 6-1 6-2
1899 Paul Aymé d. Paul Lebreton 9-7 3-6 6-3
1900 Paul Aymé d. Charles Sands (USA) 6-3 6-0 7-5
1901 André Vacherot d. Paul Lebreton 2-6 6-2 6-2
1902 Marcel Vacherot d. Max Decugis 6-4 6-2
1903 Max Decugis d. André Vacherot 6-3 6-2
1904 Max Decugis d. André Vacherot 6-2 8-6 8-10 6-1
1905 Maurice Germot d. André Vacherot 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-3
1906 Maurice Germot d Max Decugis 5-7 6-3 6-4 1-6 6-3
1907 Max Decugis d. Robert Wallet 6-0 6-3 6-1
1908 Max Decugis d. Maurice Germot 6-2 6-1 3-6 10-8
1909 Max Decugis d. Maurice Germot 3-6 2-6 6-4 6-4 6-4
1910 Maurice Germot d. Jean-François Blanchy 6-1 3-6 6-4 6-3*
1911 André Gobert d. Maurice Germot 6-1 8-6 7-5
1912 Max Decugis d. Maurice Germot 6-1 7-5 6-0*
1913 Max Decugis d. Georges Gault 6-1 6-3 6-4
1914 Max Decugis d. Jean Samazeuilh 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-4
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Women’s singles event

1897 Adine Masson d. Suzanne Poirson Girod 6-3 6-1
1898 Adine Masson was the only entrant
1899 Adine Masson was the only entrant
1900 Yvonne Prévost was the only entrant
1901 Suzanne Poirson Girod d. Mlle Leroux 6-1 6-1
1902 Adine Masson d. Suzanne Poirson Girod 6-0 6-1
1903 Adine Masson d. Kate Gillou 6-0 6-8 6-0
1904 Kate Gillou d. Adine Masson
1905 Kate Gillou d. Yvonne de Pfeffel 6-0 11-9
1906 Kate Gillou Fenwick d. Virginia MacVeagh (USA) 3-6 7-5 6-1
1907 Thérèse Gallay Villard, Countess of Kermel d. Catherine d’Aliney d’Elva 6-1, retired
1908 Kate Gillou Fenwick d. Adrienne Péan 6-2 6-2
1909 Jeanne Matthey d. Abeille Villard Gallay 10-8 6-4
1910 Jeanne Matthey d. Germaine Régnier 1-6 6-1 9-7
1911 Jeanne Matthey d. Marguerite Broquedis 6-1 7-5
1912 Jeanne Matthey d. Marie Engrand Danet 6-2 7-5
1913 Marguerite Broquedis d. Jeanne Matthey 6-3 6-3
1914 Marguerite Broquedis d. Suzanne Lenglen 5-7 6-4 6-3
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Men’s doubles event

1891 B. Desjoyaux/Thomas Legrand d. Boulanger/Maurice Cucheval-Clarigny 6-0 6-1
1892 Leonardo Diaz-Albertini/J. Havet d. Carlos de Candamo (PER)/Maurice Cucheval-Clarigny 6-5 6-5
1893 F. Goldsmith (GB)/Jean Schopfer d. George Hetley (GB)/Ferdinand Ortmans 6-4 4-6 6-2
1894 Georges Brosselin/J. Lesage d. George Hetley (GB)/Robinson 6-4 2-6 6-2
1895 André Vacherot/Christian Winzer (GER) d. Paul Lebreton/Paul Lecaron 6-2 6-1
1896 Vines/Archibald Warden (GB) d. André Vacherot/Marcel Vacherot 6-4 8-6
1897 Paul Aymé/Paul Lebreton d. Longchamps/Archibald Warden (GB) 6-3 6-0
1898 Xenophon Casdagli (GB)/Marcel Vacherot d. Georges Brosselin/André Vacherot 8-10 6-4 6-3
1899 Paul Aymé/Paul Lebreton
1900 Paul Aymé/Paul Lebreton d. Frederick Kipping (GB)/Archibald Warden (GB) 5-7 6-3 7-5
1901 André Vacherot/Marcel Vacherot d. Paul Lebreton/Paul Lecaron 6-4 6-4
1902 Max Decugis/Jacques Worth d. André Vacherot/Marcel Vacherot 6-4 4-6 6-3
1903 Max Decugis/Jacques Worth d. André Vacherot/Marcel Vacherot 8-6 6-4, retired
1904 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. Paul Aymé/André Vacherot 6-3 6-3 6-1
1905 Max Decugis/Jacques Worth d. Maurice Germot/André Vacherot 6-4 10-8 6-3
1906 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. L. Graham/Édouard Mény de Marangue 6-1 6-2 6-3
1907 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. Étienne Siry/Robert Wallet 6-4 6-2 6-1
1908 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. P. Béjot/Étienne Micard 6-0 6-4 6-4
1909 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. Daniel Lawton/Jean Montariol 6-1 6-2 6-3
1910 Marcel Dupont/Maurice Germot d. William Laurentz/Étienne Micard 6-4 6-4 5-7 6-4
1911 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. André Gobert/William Laurentz 6-3 6-4 7-5
1912 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. Albert Canet/William Laurentz 6-3 6-8 6-2 5-7 6-3
1913 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. Albert Canet/William Laurentz 6-4 2-6 6-2 6-8 6-2
1914 Max Decugis/Maurice Germot d. William Laurentz/Count Otto von Salm (AUT) 6-4 6-4 4-6 4-6 6-4
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Women’s doubles event

1907 Yvonne de Pfeffel/Adrienne Péan
1908 Marie Flameng Decugis/Kate Gillou Fenwick d. Mme d’Éclaibes/Adrienne Péan 6-3 5-7 6-4
1909 Cécile Matthey/Jeanne Matthey d. Marie Flameng Decugis/Abeille Villard Gallay 6-2 6-2
1910 Jeanne Matthey/Daisy Spéranza d. Marguerite Broquedis/Germaine Régnier 6-2 7-5
1911 Jeanne Matthey/Daisy Spéranza d. Marguerite Broquedis/Germaine Régnier 5-7 6-1 6-0
1912 Jeanne Matthey/Daisy Spéranza were probably unchallenged
1913 Blanche Amblard/Suzanne Amblard d. Magda Aranyi/Marguerite Broquedis 4-6 6-2 6-2*
1914 Blanche Amblard/Suzanne Amblard d. Suzanne Lenglen/Germaine Régnier Golding 6-4 8-6
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Mixed doubles event

1898 Yvonne Prévost/Charles Sands (USA) d. E. Paul/Archibald Warden (GB) 6-2 6-3
1899
1900 Yvonne Prévost/André Prévost were the only entrants
1901 Alice Wetherbee Schopfer/Jean Schopfer d. Adine Masson/Willy Masson 6-3 5-7 6-4
1902 Yvonne Prévost/Reginald Forbes d. Adine Masson/Willy Masson 6-3 6-3
1903 Yvonne Prévost/Reginald Forbes d. Antoinette Gillou/Max Decugis 6-3 6-3
1904 Kate Gillou/Max Decugis d. Yvonne de Pfeffel/André Vacherot 7-5 8-6
1905 Yvonne de Pfeffel/Max Decugis d. Kate Gillou/Maurice Germot 6-0 6-2
1906 Yvonne de Pfeffel/Max Decugis d. Kate Gillou Fenwick/Maurice Germot 6-3 8-6
1907 Adrienne Péan/Robert Wallet d. Thérèse Gallay Villard, Countess of Kermel/Jean Porée 6-3 7-5
1908 Kate Gillou Fenwick/Max Decugis d. Adrienne Péan/Étienne Micard 6-1 6-2
1909 Jeanne Matthey/Max Decugis d. Abeille Villard Gallay/Maurice Germot 4-6 6-4 7-5
1910 Marguerite Mény/Édouard Mény de Marangue d. Daisy Spéranza/William Laurentz 7-5 0-6 6-3
1911 Marguerite Broquedis/André Gobert d. Marguerite Mény/Édouard Mény de Marangue 6-4 6-3
1912 Daisy Spéranza/William Laurentz d. Jeanne Matthey/Max Decugis 6-4 6-1*
1913 Marguerite Broquedis/William Laurentz vs Elizabeth Ryan (USA)/Max Decugis [delayed by rain]
1914 Suzanne Lenglen/Max Decugis d. Blanche or Suzanne Amblard/Maurice Germot 6-4 6-1*
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[thrust]

Lenglen - French Open Grand Slam totals



This adds credence to the thought that the WHCC were the true fore-runner of the French Open.

Question: Should the pre-1925 Grand Slam total wins of Lenglen for the French Open be taken from her French Championships wins (open to only French Club members) or from her WHCC wins?

Lenglen is only credited with two French Championships, 25,26. She won four WHCC on clay in which the other top players competed, therefore, Some think that those four titles should be added to her French Championships total.

 

[herodf1865]

It's a valid point Thrust.

The WHCC clearly was the forerunner to what we call the French Open. We need to keep in mind that to the French in 1925 claiming the WHCC presented some problems-tradition (only going back to 1912), and "Frenchness" (one year it was held in Brussels). Then, like now with holding RG in September, the French tend to go their own way.