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General First nameRichard C. (Dick)
LastnameSorlein
GenderMale
CountryUnited States of America
Date of birth1922-06-23
Place of birthMinneapolis, Minnesota., United States of America
Date of death2008-01-07
Place of deathShannondell in Audubon, Montgomery County, United States of America


About

Richard C. Sorlien, 85, of Villanova, a lawyer and an amateur tennis champion who promoted the game for more than 50 years, died of a neurological illness Monday at Shannondell in Audubon, Montgomery County, where he had resided since October.

Mr. Sorlien began playing tennis at age 7 on a makeshift court in St. Cloud, Minn. He first competed nationally in high school and later won a New England Intercollegiate Tennis Championship doubles title. During World War II, he served in the Army Air Force and won an Air Force tennis championship in the Philippines.In 1948, Mr. Sorlien\'s debut in a major men\'s tournament ended when he lost to the year\'s No. 1 U.S. player, Pancho Gonzales, at the Newport Casino Invitational in Rhode Island. For the next 20 years, Mr. Sorlien competed in most major grass-court events, including 12 years at the U.S. Tennis Nationals in Forest Hills, N.Y., and at Wimbledon. Locally, he won several Philadelphia District clay-court championships in the 1950s and won the title for five years straight in the 1960s.

He was a three-time finalist in the Wimbledon Veterans\' Doubles in the 45-and-older category. He won 10 U.S. titles in senior divisions, and in 1982 he won the 60s Singles International Tennis Federation World Championship in Australia. He continued to compete in senior events until he was 82, his daughter Sandy said.

A member of the Merion Cricket Club for 57 years, Mr. Sorlien was past president of the Philadelphia and Suburban Lawn Tennis Association and the Middle States Lawn Tennis Association. He cofounded the Gold Cup, a youth tennis program in Philadelphia, and in 1970 helped establish the Philadelphia Tennis Center in West Mount Airy. For 40 years he was active with the U.S. Tennis Association and served on its committee of management.

He also served on the board of the International Lawn Tennis Club of the United States. The Sorlien Cup, named in his honor, is awarded to the winner of an annual open-age competition between the International Lawn Tennis Clubs of Canada and the United States.

Media


Archive statistics Career1948 - 1976
Tournament wins13
Matches174
Match wins91


Tournament wins 1968 - Middle States Hardcourts (Open)
1967 - Middle States Hardcourts (Open)
1966 - Philadelphia and District Clay Courts (Open)
1966 - Plymouth Country Club Invitation (Amateur)
1961 - Middle States Hardcourts (Open)
1961 - Coral Beach Club Invitation (Open)
1957 - Philadelphia and District Clay Courts (Open)
1956 - Keystone State (Amateur)
1956 - Philadelphia and District Clay Courts (Open)
1955 - Philadelphia and District Clay Courts (Open)
1954 - Philadelphia and District Clay Courts (Open)
1954 - Hot Springs Invitation Tournament (Open)
1952 - Eastern Clay Court Championships (Open)


Tournaments Irish Championships - 1976 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1970 Middle States Hardcourts - 1970 Cheltenham Hardcourts - 1969 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1968 Middle States Hardcourts - 1968 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1967 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1967 Middle States Hardcourts - 1967 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1966 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1966 Middle States Hardcourts - 1966 Plymouth Country Club Invitation - 1966 US Open - 1965 Newport Casino - 1965 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1965 Cheltenham Hardcourts - 1965 Philadelphia Indoors - Qualifying - 1965 US International Indoor Championships - 1964 Eastern States Clay Court Championships - 1964 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1964 Coral Beach Club Invitation - 1964 US Open Qualifying - 1964 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1964 Cheltenham Hardcourts - 1964 Northwest Invitation - 1964 Philadelphia Indoors - Qualifying - 1964 US Open - 1963 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1963 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1963 Cheltenham Hardcourts - 1963 Northwest Invitation - 1963 US Open - 1962 Newport Casino - 1962 US Open Qualifying - 1962 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1962 Drexelbrook - 1962 US Open - 1961 Newport Casino - 1961 Eastern Grass Court Championships - 1961 US International Indoor Championships - 1961 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1961 Coral Beach Club Invitation - 1961 Cheltenham Hardcourts - 1961 Middle States Hardcourts - 1961 Newport Casino - 1960 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1960 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1960 Newport - Consolation - 1960 Seventh Regiment Tennis Club Holiday Invitaion - 1960 US International Indoor Championships - 1959 Philadelphia Open - 1959 US Open - 1958 Newport Casino - 1958 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1958 Philadelphia Open - 1958 Newport - Consolation - 1958 US Open - 1957 Canadian International Championships - 1957 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1957 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1957 Philadelphia Open - 1957 US Open - 1956 Newport Casino - 1956 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1956 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1956 Keystone State - 1956 Philadelphia Open - 1956 Water Tower TC Hard Courts - 1956 US Open - 1955 Newport Casino - 1955 Eastern Grass Court Championships - 1955 US International Indoor Championships - 1955 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1955 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1955 Middle States Clay Courts - 1955 US Open - 1954 US International Indoor Championships - 1954 Hot Springs Invitation Tournament - 1954 Philadelphia and District Clay Courts - 1954 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1954 Germantown Cricket Club Invitation - 1954 US Open - 1953 Newport Casino - 1953 Eastern Grass Court Championships - 1953 US International Indoor Championships - 1953 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1953 US Open - 1952 Eastern Clay Court Championships - 1952 Irish Championships - 1952 Pennsylvania Lawn Tennis Championship - 1952 US Open - 1951 Ontario Championships - 1951 US International Indoor Championships - 1950 US Open Qualifying - 1950 US International Indoor Championships - 1949 Newport Casino - 1948