The 1879 men's tennis season incorporated 26 tournaments. The 1879 Wimbledon Championships was won by John Hartley. Defending champion Patrick Francis Hadow could not participate in the Challenge Round. This year saw the inaugural Irish Championships that in its early stages of development was considered as important as the Wimbledon Championships. The event was won by Vere St. Leger Goold who defeated Charles David Barry in the final by 8–6, 8–6. Important this year was the staging of six hard court tournaments some of which included the Dublin University Championships the East Gloucestershire Championships held in Cheltenham Great Britain, Nice Tennis Tournament in Nice, France and the first tournament to be held outside of Europe in Australia with the Victorian Championships.
The season started in Nice, France in May and ended in Melbourne, Australia in December.
Calendar Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921), in some tournaments not all.* Indicates challenger Notes 2:Tournaments in italics were events that were staged only once that season
Key Important. National Provincial/State/Regional County Local/other
January to April No events
February DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist14 - 15 May. Nice Tennis TournamentSt. Philippe RinkNice, FranceHardSingles - DoublesHenry Lyle Mulholland6-3, 6-1 Mr. Harrison
May DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist28 April - 2 May.Earlsfort Terrace TournamentEarlsfort Terrace, Dublin, IrelandAsphalt Vere Thomas Saint Leger Goold? J.C. Roberts 14 - 15 May. Bournemouth CLTC Spring TournamentBournemouth CLTCDean Park Cricket GroundBournemouth, EnglandGrassSingles - Doubles Sir Hubert James Medlycott ? ?
June WeekTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist16 JuneIrish Lawn Tennis Championships Dublin, IrelandGrassSingles Vere St. Leger Goold8–6, 8–6 David Charles Barry Henry Evelyn Toombe John Jameson Cairnes F J Joyce J J Sherrard L McDonnell A Hodgson 30 Jun -30 JulGrand National Lawn Tennis Tournament Hendon, London, Great BritainGrassSingles Edgar Lubbock6-1 6-0 8-6 Lestocq Robert Erskine
July
DateTournamentWinnerAll comers' finalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist 7–16 JulyWimbledon ChampionshipLondon, Great BritainGrassSingles John Hartleywalkover Vere St. Leger Goold Vere St. Leger GooldBye Cecil Francis Parr Charles Gilbert Heathcote C D Barry G E TaborChallenge round Patrick Francis Hadow 14-15 July.Staffordshire County Cricket Club Lawn Tennis Tournament.Lichfield, Great BritainGrassSingles Henry W. J. Gardner 6-4 6-3 E. W. Burnett William Arthur Briscoe J.H. Lonsdale N. Bailey J.C. Keene W.W. Jacks 14-15 JulyEssex County Cricket Club Tournament Knighton, Essex, Great BritainGrassSingles Nalton Womersley6-4 6-5 Dale Womersley
August DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalistAugustScottish Championships St Andrews, Great BritainGrass Singles Leslie Balfour-Melville def ? 27 July- 2 August.County Kildare TournamentNaas Military BarracksNaas, County Kildare, IrelandGrass - Algernon Ambrose Michael Aylmer4-6, 6-3, 6-2. James G. Kennedy 29 July - 2 August. County Kildare Closed TournamentNaas Military BarracksNaas, County Kildare, IrelandGrass - George Edward Devere Kennedy6-4, 6-5 H. Mitchell 6 - 8 August.County Galway LTC TournamentCounty Galway Lawn Tennis ClubLisbeg, County Galway, IrelandGrass - W.G. Eyre? W. Peebles 12 - 13 August. Armagh Lawn Tennis TournamentArchery Lawn Tennis ClubArmagh, IrelandGrassSingles - Doubles F.L. Cope ? Robert Shaw Templer 15–16 AugustDorchester Kingston Park TournamentKingston Park CLTCKingston Park, Kingston Maurward House, Dorchester, Dorset, EnglandGrass Singles Montague Hankey6-5 6-5 6-5 Captain James J. Glascott Captain James J. Glascott James H. Medlycott Captain Bradford James C. Pipon 22–25 AugustWaterford Tournament Waterford, IrelandGrassSingles Vere St. Leger Goold? J. M. Brown Henry Joseph Gallwey J. C. Roberts Patrick Joseph Gallwey William Joseph Gallwey Pierce Barron-Newell
September DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist2 September. Teifiside LTC ChampionshipTeifiside Lawn Tennis ClubNewcastle Emlyn, WalesGrassSingles - Doubles Gwyn Saunders Davies? Frank Miles 3–9 SeptemberSouth of Ireland Championships Limerick, IrelandGrassSingles Joseph Fritz James Heffernan Considine6–4, 6–3 Henry Evelyn Tombe Joseph Fritz James Heffernan Considine T. J. Johnston Major Richard de Ros Rose W. Ryan Charles R B Heaton-Armstrong Henry Evelyn Tombe Mrs. R B Heaton-Armstrong6-3, 6-5, 6-2 Mr. Baker Miss Annie Rice 2 - 5 September.Yare LTC TournamentYare Lawn Tennis ClubFritton, Great YarmouthSurface ?Singles - Doubles Percy Lucas? Julian Marshall 23 September. North of Ireland ChampionshipsOrmeau Cricket GroundBelfast, Northern IrelandGrassSingles - Doubles Captain Short 6-5, 4-6, 6-3 M. Short
October DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist30 September - 4 October. Bournemouth CLTC Autumn TournamentBournemouth CLTCDean Park Cricket GroundBournemouth, EnglandGrassSingles - Doubles Edmond Bennet Brackenbury? Sir Hubert James Medlycott 7–11 October. East Gloucestershire ChampionshipsCheltenham, Great BritainHard (Asphalt)Singles William Renshaw6-4 6-3 5-6 6-4 Vere St. Leger Goold William H J Gardner E. W. Burnett E. Manning Mr. Arnold 20–23 October. Dublin University ChampionshipsSingles - Doubles Henry James Daly? Ernest Edward Knox Charles William O’Hara Mease Henry James Daly Charles William O’Hara Mease Thomas Haines Abrahall G.H. Bailey
November No events
December DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist 22–28 DecemberVictorian ChampionshipsMelbourne, Victoria, AustraliaHard (Asphalt) Singles A. F. Robinson 2-1 (sets) H. M. Strachan | E. McKenzie W. Officer ?
Event staged date unknown DateTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarter finalist?.Choceň Tournament Choceň, BohemiaGrass - ???
Tournament winners Note: major tournaments in bold Vere St. Leger Goold—Irish Championships, Dublin II (Earlsfort), Waterford, (3) Henry James Daley, Dublin III, (1) A. F. Robinson, Melbourne, (1) Algernon Ambrose Michael Aylmer, Naas I, (1) Captain Short, Belfast, (1) Dale Womersley, Knighton, (1) Edgar Lubbock, Hendon, (1) Edmond Bennet Brackenbury, Bournemouth II, (1) F.L. Cope, Armagh, (1) George Edward Devere Kennedy, [Naas II,(1) Gwyn Saunders Davies, Newcastle Emlyn, (1) Henry W. J. Gardner, Stafford, (1) Henry Lyle Mulholland, Nice, (1) John Hartley, Wimbledon Championships, (1) Joseph F. J. H. Considine, Limerick, (1) Leslie Balfour-Melville, St Andrews, (1) Montague Hankey, Dorchester, (1) Percy Lucas, Great Yarmouth, (1) William Renshaw, Cheltenham, (1) Hubert James Medlycott Bournemouth I, (1) W.G. Eyre, Lisbeg (1)
See also 1879 in sports
References
Sources A Social History of Tennis in Britain: Lake, Robert J. (2014), Volume 5 of Routledge Research in Sports History. Routledge, UK, . Ayre's Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, 1908 to 1938, A. Wallis Myers. British Lawn Tennis and Squash Magazine, 1948 to 1967, British Lawn Tennis Ltd, UK. Dunlop Lawn Tennis Almanack And Tournament Guide, G.P. Hughes, 1939 to 1958, Dunlop Sports Co. Ltd, UK Fein, Paul (2003). Tennis confidential : today's greatest players, matches, and controversies. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 978-1574885262. Lawn tennis and Badminton Magazine, 1906 to 1973, UK. Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annuals and Compendia, Lowe, Sir F. Gordon, Eyre & Spottiswoode Spalding's Lawn Tennis Annuals from 1885 to 1922, American Sports Pub. Co, USA. Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice, Nauright John and Parrish Charles, (2012), ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, Cal, US, . The Concise History of Tennis, Mazak Karoly, (2010), 6th Edition, 2015. Tennis; A Cultural History, Gillmeister Heiner, (1997), Leicester University Press, Leicester, UK. The Tennis Book, edited by Michael Bartlett and Bob Gillen, Arbor House, New York, 1981 The World of Tennis Annuals, Barrett John, 1970 to 2001. Total Tennis:The Ultimate Tennis Encyclopedia, by Bud Collins, Sport Classic Books, Toronto, Canada, Wright & Ditson Officially Adopted Lawn Tennis Guide's 1890 to 1920 Wright & Ditsons Publishers, Boston, Mass, USA. http://www.tennisarchives.com/ https://thetennisbase.com/
External links http://www.tennisarchives.com/ https://thetennisbase.com/1879 Season