J.F. Foulkes
Encyclopedia
J. F. Foulkes was an early star of Canadian tennis
. Foulkes may have been a three-time winner of the Canadian national championship, today known as the Rogers Cup. He was also a member of the only Canadian team
to reach the finals of the Davis Cup
.
A member of the Victoria Lawn Tennis Club, Foulkes may have captured the Canadian national championship in singles 1907, 1909, and 1910 - at least one source says otherwise however. His 1907 win, if it did occur, broke a string of 13 consecutive wins by an American player and only the second for a Canadian in 18 years. The source that disputes that Foulkes won his titles claims he was, instead, runner-up in 1907 and again in 1908.
Foulkes along with fellow Victoria
natives B. P. Schwengers, R. B. Powell and Victoria-based Henry Mayes
reached the final of the 1913 Davis Cup in the country's first attempt. (All four players were members of the Victoria LTC.) With the entire tournament played at Wimbledon in June–July, the upstart Canadians, with Powell and Schwengers playing each match, beat South Africa
, 4 wins to 1 and then Belgium
, 4-0, to reach the final. In the final, however, they were overwhelmed by the Americans losing each set of three matches they contested.
Foulkes was also a British Columbia, five-time time Pacific Northwest champion, and two-time Washington State champion. He was ranked No. 1 singles in the USTA Pacific Northwest in 1914.
Foulkes has been elected to both the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and USTA Pacific Northwest Tennis Hall of Fame.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
. Foulkes may have been a three-time winner of the Canadian national championship, today known as the Rogers Cup. He was also a member of the only Canadian team
Canada Davis Cup team
The Canada Davis Cup team represents Canada in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by Tennis Canada.Canada currently competes in the Americas Zone of Group I. The team's best result came in its first appearance in 1913 when it reached the World Group final, losing to the United States 0–3...
to reach the finals of the Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
.
A member of the Victoria Lawn Tennis Club, Foulkes may have captured the Canadian national championship in singles 1907, 1909, and 1910 - at least one source says otherwise however. His 1907 win, if it did occur, broke a string of 13 consecutive wins by an American player and only the second for a Canadian in 18 years. The source that disputes that Foulkes won his titles claims he was, instead, runner-up in 1907 and again in 1908.
Foulkes along with fellow Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
natives B. P. Schwengers, R. B. Powell and Victoria-based Henry Mayes
Henry Mayes
Henry George Mayes was a British-Canadian tennis player, military figure and businessman. He won the Queen's Club Championships in 1922, 1926 and 1927.-Biography:...
reached the final of the 1913 Davis Cup in the country's first attempt. (All four players were members of the Victoria LTC.) With the entire tournament played at Wimbledon in June–July, the upstart Canadians, with Powell and Schwengers playing each match, beat South Africa
South Africa Davis Cup team
The South Africa Davis Cup team represents South Africa in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the South African Tennis Association....
, 4 wins to 1 and then Belgium
Belgium Davis Cup team
The Belgium Davis Cup team represents Belgium in Davis Cup tennis competition and are governed by the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation.Belgium finished as runner-up in 1904.Belgium returned to the World Group in 2007 after 3 years absence.-Current team:...
, 4-0, to reach the final. In the final, however, they were overwhelmed by the Americans losing each set of three matches they contested.
Foulkes was also a British Columbia, five-time time Pacific Northwest champion, and two-time Washington State champion. He was ranked No. 1 singles in the USTA Pacific Northwest in 1914.
Foulkes has been elected to both the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and USTA Pacific Northwest Tennis Hall of Fame.