George Stewart (tennis)

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George Stewart
Country (sports)Flag of Panama.svg  Panama
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
PlaysLeft-handed
Singles
Grand Slam singles results
US Open 2R (1953, 1954, 1957)

George Stewart was a Panama-born tennis player.

Stewart, a black player, was dominant in the American Tennis Association (ATA) during the 1940s and 1950s, along with Althea Gibson from the women's bracket. [1] A seven-time singles champion, he won his first ATA title in 1947. [2] In 1952 he and Reginald Weir were the first blacks to compete at the U.S. national championships (modern day US Open). [3]

A left-handed player, Stewart was a doubles silver medalist for Panama at the 1954 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico City and also represented his birth country at the Bolivarian Games. [4]

Stewart played collegiate tennis for South Carolina State A&M. [4]

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References

  1. "Defending Champs Have Easy Time In Regaining Titles". The Pittsburgh Courier . August 29, 1953.
  2. "Tennis Title To Stewart". The New York Times . August 24, 1947.
  3. "They Wink at the Age Limit". The Pittsburgh Courier . September 20, 1952.
  4. 1 2 "George Stewart Eliminated In Olympic Play". Alabama Tribune. January 16, 1948.