Berkeley Bell

{{short description|American tennis player}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

|name = Berkeley Bell

|fullname = Richard Berkeley Bell

|image =

|caption =

|country = {{USA}}

|birth_date = {{birth date|1907|11|08}}

|birth_place = Austin, Texas, U.S.

|death_date =

|death_place = {{death date and age|1967|07|15|1907|11|08}}

|height =

|turnedpro =

|retired =

|plays = Right-handed

|careerprizemoney =

|website =

|singlesrecord = 116-76

|singlestitles = 24

|highestsinglesranking =

|AustralianOpenresult =

|FrenchOpenresult =

|Wimbledonresult = 3R (1930)

|USOpenresult = QF (1931)

|Othertournaments =

|Promajors = yes

|USProresult = SF (1938)

|doublesrecord =

|doublestitles =

|AustralianOpenDoublesresult =

|FrenchOpenDoublesresult =

|WimbledonDoublesresult =

|USOpenDoublesresult = F (1929, 1931)

|Mixed =

|AustralianOpenMixedresult =

|FrenchOpenMixedresult =

|WimbledonMixedresult =

}}

Richard Berkeley Bell (November 8, 1907 – June 15, 1967) was an American male tennis player who ranked No. 7 among the U.S. amateurs in 1934.

He twice reached the final of the men's doubles competition at the U.S. National Championships (now US Open). In 1929 he partnered with Lewis White and lost the final in four sets against George Lott and John Doeg. Two years later, in 1931, he teamed up with Gregory Mangin and lost to John Van Ryn and Wilmer Allison in three straight sets.{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Bud|authorlink=Bud Collins|title=The Bud Collins History of Tennis|year=2016|publisher=New Chapter Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1-937559-38-0|page=506|edition=3rd}} His best singles performance came in 1931 when he reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. National Championships but lost in three straight sets to Fred Perry.

In 1929, Bell won the New York State Championships defeating Frank Shields in the final in four sets.

Bell won the Seabright Invitational in 1934 defeating Wilmer Allison in the semifinal in four sets and Bitsy Grant in the final in five sets.

He won the Eastern Clay Court Championships in 1935.

Together with Gregory Mangin he won the doubles title at the National Indoors Tennis Championships, played at the Seventh Regiment Armory in New York.{{cite book|last=USTA|first=United States Tennis Association|title=Official Encyclopedia of Tennis|year=1979|publisher=Harper & Row|location=New York|isbn=0060144785|edition=Rev. and updated 1st|editor=Bill Shannon|page=[https://archive.org/details/officialencyclop0000unit/page/255 255]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/officialencyclop0000unit/page/255}} He turned pro in December 1935.{{cite web|title=History of the Pro Tennis Wars|url=http://www.tennisserver.com/lines/lines_03_12_01.html|publisher=Tennis Server|author=Ray Bowers}}{{cite book|last=McCauley|first=Joe|title=The History of Professional Tennis|year=2000|publisher=The Short Run Book Company Limited|location=Windsor|page=27}}

Berkeley Bell died aged 59 of a heart attack after taking part in a tennis tournament for veteran players.{{cite web|title=Berkeley Bell, Tennis Star, 59|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/06/16/archives/berkeley-bell-tennis-star-59-top-player-in-20s-and-30s-stricken-at.html|work=The New York Times|date=June 16, 1967}}

Grand Slam finals

=Doubles (2 runner-ups)=

class="sortable wikitable"

!style="width:40px"|Result

!style="width:35px"|Year

!style="width:200px"|Championship

!style="width:50px"|Surface

!style="width:150px"|Partner

!style="width:150px"|Opponents

!style="width:150px" class="unsortable"|Score

style="background:#ccf;"

| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss

1929U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Lewis White{{flagicon|USA|1912}} George Lott
{{flagicon|USA|1912}} John Doeg
8–10, 6–1, 4–6, 1–6
style="background:#ccf;"

| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss

1931U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass{{flagicon|USA|1912}} Gregory Mangin{{flagicon|USA|1912}} John Van Ryn
{{flagicon|USA|192}} Wilmer Allison
4–6, 3–6, 2–6

References

{{reflist}}