Rackets World Championships

Last updated October 09, 2025

The Rackets World Championships is the rackets leading event organised by the Tennis and Rackets Association.^[1]

Start Year

The singles world championship began on a challenge basis in 1820,^[2] with the doubles championship starting in 1990.^[3]

Due to safety concerns, women were banned from playing rackets until 2008: the women's singles championship began in 2015, with the women's doubles championship starting in 2019 (2020).

MS: 1820
MD: 1990
WS: 2015
WD: 2019

World Singles Champions

Year	Venue/s	Winner	Runner-Up	Scores	Notes
1820		Robert Mackay ^[4]			Mackay resigned title 1825
1825		Thomas Pittman ^[4]			Pittman resigned title 1834
1834		John Pittman ^[4]
1838	Belvedere Gardens	John Lamb ^[4]	John Pittman	8-4 (games)	died while champion in 1840
1846	Birmingham Bristol	John Charles Mitchell ^[4]	J C M Young	5-0 (games)
1860	Woolwich Club Bristol Club	Francis Erwood ^[4]	John Charles Mitchell	8-1 (games)
1862	Woolwich Club Prince's Club	William Hart-Dyke ^[4]	Francis Erwood	8-3 (games)	Dyke resigned title 1863
1863		Henry John Gray ^[4]			Gray resigned title 1866
1866		William Gray ^[4]			died while champion in 1875
1876	Prince's Club Rugby School	Henry B Fairs ^[4]		8-3 (games)	died while champion in 1878
1878		Joseph Gray ^[4]
1887	Rugby School Manchester Club	Peter Latham ^[5]	Joseph Gray	7-15, 15-10, 15-9, 10-15, 9-15, 15-8, 8-15 15-2, 15-4, 15-11, 15-9
1888	Queen's Club Charterhouse School	Peter Latham ^[6]	Walter Gray	2-15, 15-12, 15-7 16-14, 15-6 8-15, 15-4, 12-15, 15-9, 15-9, 12-15, 15-?
1891	Prince's Club Queen's Club	Peter Latham ^[7]	George Standing	15-6, 15-12, 15-9, 15-5 15-11, 15-13, 15-10, 15-18, 15-4
1897	Prince's Club New York Club	Peter Latham ^[7]^[8]	George Standing	15-11, 15-13, 15-10, 15-18, 15-4 4-3 (games)
1902	Queen's Club Prince's Club	Peter Latham ^[9]	Gilbert Browne	16-13, 15-10, 15-0, 15-2 15-11 9-15, 15-7, 15-4, 15-7	Latham resigned title in 1902
1903	Prince's Club Queen's Club	Jamsetji Merwanji ^[10]	Gilbert Browne	15-11, 18-16, 13-16, 15-8, 15-4 15-5, 11-15, 15-5, 15-6, 15-1
1911	Queen's Club Prince's Club	Charles Williams ^[11]	Jamsetji Merwanji	18-15, 15-2, 15-9, 15-8 15-7, 12-13, 14-17 15-7, 15-4, 12-15 0-0	last game not played
1913	Queen's Club Philadelphia Club	Jock Soutar ^[4]	Charles Williams	15-6, 12-13, 11-15, 10-15, 15-9, 6-15 15-2, 15-8, 15-4, 15-3
1922	Philadelphia Club New York Club	Jock Soutar ^[12]	Charles Williams	18-15, 15-0, 6-15, 12-15, 17-15,12-15, 15-7 4-0 (games)
1927	Philadelphia Club New York Club	Jock Soutar	William Standing	8-1 (games)
1929	Philadelphia Club New York Club	Charles Williams	Jock Soutar	7-3 (games)	died while champion in 1935 ^[13]
1937	New York Club Queen's Club	David S Milford ^[14]^[15]	Norbert Setzler	15-9, 9-15, 15-10, 10-15, 8-15, 15-12, 12-15 15-4, 15-4, 15-9, 15-12,	Milford resigned title 1946
1947	Montreal Racket Club Queen's Club	James Dear ^[16]	Kenneth Chantler	15-9, 16-17, 15-10, 15-11, 15-11 15-4, 15-2, 15-8, 15-5
1948	Queen's Club Queen's Club	James Dear	John Pawle	8-4 (games)
1951	Queen's Club Queen's Club	James Dear	John Pawle	8-2 (games)
1954	Queen's Club Queen's Club	Geoffrey Atkins	James Dear	6-5 (games)
1963	Queen's Club Queen's Club	Geoffrey Atkins	James Leonard	6-1 (games)
1964	Queen's Club Queen's Club	Geoffrey Atkins	Charles Swallow	7-5 (games)
1967	Chicago Club Queen's Club	Geoffrey Atkins	James Leonard	7-2 (games)
1970	Chicago Club Queen's Club	Geoffrey Atkins	Charles Swallow	6-3 (games)
1972	Queen's Club Chicago Club	William Surtees	Howard Angus	5-4 (games)
1973	Chicago Club Queen's Club	Howard Angus	William Surtees	5-1 (games)
1975	Chicago Club Queen's Club	William Surtees	Howard Angus	5-1 (games)
1977	Chicago Club Queen's Club	William Surtees	Howard Angus	5-0 (games)
1979	New York Club Queen's Club	William Surtees	Willie Boone	5-0 (games)
1981	New York Club Queen's Club	John Prenn	William Surtees	6-4 (games)
1984	Montreal Racket Club Queen's Club	Willie Boone	John Prenn	7-2 (games)
1986	New York Club Queen's Club	John Prenn	Willie Boone	8-6 (games)
1988	Chicago Club Queen's Club	James Male	Willie Boone	6-1 (games)
1991	Chicago Club Queen's Club	James Male	Shannon Hazell	6-2 (games)
1993	Philadelphia Club Queen's Club	James Male	Neil Smith	6-5 (games)
1995	Chicago Club Queen's Club	James Male	Neil Smith	6-2 (games)
1999	Chicago Club Queen's Club	Neil Smith	James Male	4-2 (games) 2nd leg scratched and Smith declared champion as Male was injured
2001	New York Club St Paul's School	James Male	Neil Smith	6-1 (games)
2003	Philadelphia Club Queen's Club	James Male	Jonathan Larken	5-4 (games)
2005	Montreal Racket Club Queen's Club	Harry Foster	Alister Robinson	7-5 (games)
2008	New York Club Queen's Club	James Stout	Harry Foster	6-1 (games)
2010	New York Club Queen's Club	James Stout	Alex Titchener-Barrett	5-1 (games)
2015	Philadelphia Club Queen's Club	James Stout	Will Hopton	5-0 (games)
2017	New York Club Queen's Club	James Stout	Tom Billings	5-0 (games)
2019	Queen's Club Detroit Racquet Club	Tom Billings	Alex Duncliffe-Vines	5-0 (games)
2023	Queen's Club Racquet Club of Chicago	Benjamin Cawston	Tom Billings	5-0 (games)

Women Singles Champions

Year	Venue/s	Winner	Runner-Up	Scores
2015	London, England	Lea van der Zwalmen	Claire Fahey	3-1
2017	Crowthorne, England	Lea van der Zwalmen	Georgie Willis	3-0
2019	London, England	Lea van der Zwalmen	Georgie Willis	3-0
2022	London, England	Lea van der Zwalmen	Cesca Sweet	3-0
2024	London, England	Lea van der Zwalmen	Claire Fahey	8/15 13/18 16/13 15/5 18/13

World Doubles Champions

Year	Venue/s	Winner	Runner-Up	Scores
1990	Manchester Club Queen's Club	James Male John Prenn	Shannon Hazell Neil Smith	8-5 (games)
1992	Clifton College Queen's Club	Shannon Hazell Neil Smith	Willie Boon John Prenn	7-3 (games)
1993	New York Club Queen's Club	Shannon Hazell Neil Smith	James Male John Prenn	7-7 (games) 166-160 points
1996	New York Club Philadelphia Club	Shannon Hazell Neil Smith	James Male John Prenn	5-0 (games)
1998	Clifton College New York Club	Shannon Hazell Neil Smith	Willie Boon Peter Brake	7-6 (games)
2001	Philadelphia Club St Paul's School	James Male Mark Hue Williams	Shannon Hazell Neil Smith	5-0 (games)
2003	New York Club Queen's Club	James Male Mark Hue Williams	Ali Robinson Guy Barker	6-6 (games) 136-134 points
2005	Chicago Club Queen's Club	Ali Robinson Guy Barker	Tim Cockroft Guy Smith-Bingham	7-4 (games)
2007	New York Club Queen's Club	Neil Smith Mark Hubbard	Harry Foster Mark Hue Williams	5-0 (games)
2009	New York Club Queen's Club	Harry Foster Mark Hue Williams	Neil Smith Mark Hubbard	7-5 (games)
2011	Montreal Club Queen's Club	Tim Cockroft Alex Titchener-Barrett	Harry Foster Mark Hue Williams	8-5 (games)
2013	Chicago Club Queen's Club	James Coyne Will Hopton	Tim Cockroft Alex Titchener-Barrett	6-2 (games)
2015	Chicago Club Queen's Club	Christian Portz Alex Titchener-Barrett	James Coyne Will Hopton	7-2 (games)
2016	Queen's Club New York Club	James Stout Jonathan Larken	Christian Portz Alex Titchener-Barrett	6-2 (games)
2018	Queen's Club New York Club	James Stout Jonathan Larken	Tom Billings Richard Owen	5-0 (games)
2021	Queen's Club New York Club	Tom Billings Richard Owen	James Stout Jonathan Larken	5-1 (games)
2023	Tennis and Racquet Club Tennis and Racquet Club	Tom Billings Richard Owen	Mike Bailey Benjamin Cawston	6-5 (games)

Women's Doubles Champions

Year	Venue/s	Winner	Runner-Up	Scores
2020	Crowthorne, England	Tara Lumley India Deakin	Lea van der Zwalmen Louisa Gengler-Saint	3-1
2023	London, England	Lea van der Zwalmen Cesca Sweet	Claire Fahey Tara Lumley	3-0
2025	London, England	Lea van der Zwalmen Cesca Sweet	Claire Fahey Tara Lumley	3-1 (15-2 15-9 9-15 15-4)

References

↑ "Welcome". Tennis & Racquets Association.
↑ "WORLD SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP" (PDF). Tennis & Racquets Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
↑ "World Doubles Chamspionship" (PDF). Tennis & Racquets Association.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 5 Apr. 1913". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 28 Apr. 1887". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 3 May 1888". Times Digital Archive.
1 2 ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 18 Oct. 1897". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 29 Nov. 1897". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 14 Apr. 1902". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 22 Apr. 1903". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 1 May 1911". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 11 Dec. 1922". Times Digital Archive.
↑ "A CORRESPONDENT. "Rackets." Times [London, England] 6 Dec. 1935". Times Digital Archive.
↑ ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 18 Jan. 1937". Times Digital Archive.
↑ "OUR RACKETS CORRESPONDENT. "Rackets." Times [London, England] 12 Apr. 1937". Times Digital Archive.
↑ "Our Special Correspondent. "Rackets." Times [London, England] 26 Apr. 1947". Times Digital Archive.

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[1] "Welcome". Tennis & Racquets Association.

[2] "WORLD SINGLES CHAMPIONSHIP" (PDF). Tennis & Racquets Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2017-10-20.

[3] "World Doubles Chamspionship" (PDF). Tennis & Racquets Association.

[rackets1913-4] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 5 Apr. 1913". Times Digital Archive.

[5] ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 28 Apr. 1887". Times Digital Archive.

[6] ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 3 May 1888". Times Digital Archive.

[rackets1897-7] 1 2 ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 18 Oct. 1897". Times Digital Archive.

[8] ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 29 Nov. 1897". Times Digital Archive.

[9] ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 14 Apr. 1902". Times Digital Archive.

[10] ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 22 Apr. 1903". Times Digital Archive.

[11] ""Racquets." Times [London, England] 1 May 1911". Times Digital Archive.

[12] ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 11 Dec. 1922". Times Digital Archive.

[13] "A CORRESPONDENT. "Rackets." Times [London, England] 6 Dec. 1935". Times Digital Archive.

[14] ""Rackets." Times [London, England] 18 Jan. 1937". Times Digital Archive.

[15] "OUR RACKETS CORRESPONDENT. "Rackets." Times [London, England] 12 Apr. 1937". Times Digital Archive.

[16] "Our Special Correspondent. "Rackets." Times [London, England] 26 Apr. 1947". Times Digital Archive.

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