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Doubles, Men

Date6 – 11 July 1908
StatusOlympic
LocationAll-England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Wimbledon
Participants24 from 8 countries
FormatSingle-elimination tournament.

By 1908 there was no dominant doubles team in England or world tennis. The Doherty brothers, Reggie and Laurie, had been the top pair, winning eight Wimbledon titles from 1897-1905. But Laurie retired in 1906 because of health problems. However Reggie played on, partnering various players, and with George Hillyard, they won the 1908 Olympic doubles. In addition to his doubles titles with his brother, Reggie Doherty won the Wimbledon singles in 1897-1900. He played eight Davis Cup rubbers, losing only one match, and that against the top American of the era, Bill Larned.

George Hillyard was Secretary of the All-England Club for 17 years, 1907-1924, and was married to the great British female player, Blanche Bingley. At 44 years of age, he was beyond his prime at the 1908 Olympics. He had won the British covered court doubles in 1890-91 with Harry Scrivener and again in 1904-05 with Laurie Doherty. He was German singles champion in 1897 and 1900. He was also quite accomplished at cricket and golf. Together, Hillyard and Reggie Doherty also won the 1909 South African doubles, their only other title together.

PosPairNOC
1George Hillyard / Reggie DohertyGBRGold
2Josiah Ritchie / James ParkeGBRSilver
3Clement Cazalet / Charles DixonGBRBronze
=4Walter Crawley / Kenneth PowellGBR
=4Victor Gauntlett / Harry KitsonRSA
=4Arthur Zborzil / Fritz Felix PiepesAUT
=7John Foulkes / Bobby PowellCAN
=7Christiaan, Jonkheer van Lennep / Roelof, Jonkheer van LennepNED
=7Otto Froitzheim / Heinrich SchomburgkGER
=7Jenő Zsigmondy / Ede TóthHUN
=11Oskar Kreuzer / Friedrich-Wilhelm RaheGER
=11Bohuslav Hykš / David SlívaBOH
DNSMax Decugis / Maurice GermotFRA
DNSClaude Russell-Brown / Hedley SucklingCAN
DNSKároly Vitus / Jaroslav ŽemlaBOH
DNSL. Ivanka / Dezső LauberHUN
DNSLadislav Žemla / Zdeněk ŽemlaBOH
DNSGeorge Ball-Greene / Wilberforce EavesGBR
DNSRolf Kinzl / Kurt von WesselyAUT
DNSArthur Wentworth Gore / Roper BarrettGBR
DNSJosef Gruss / Josef Rössler-OřovskýBOH

Round One

Date6 July 1908
FormatWinner of each match advanced to round two.
MatchDate/TimePairNOCResultPairNOC
Match #1Foulkes / PowellCANbye
Match #2Crawley / PowellGBRbye
Match #306 JulVitus / ŽemlaBOHbye
Match #4Hillyard / DohertyGBRbye
Match #5van Lennep / van LennepNEDbye
Match #6Dixon / CazaletGBRKinzl / von WesselyAUTwalkover
Match #706 JulFroitzheim / SchomburgkGER6-1, 6-3, 6-3Kreuzer / RaheGER
Match #806 JulGauntlett / KitsonRSA6-0, 6-4, 6-3Hykš / SlívaBOH
Match #9Ivanka / LauberHUNGore / BarrettGBRwalkover
Match #1006 JulZborzil / PiepesAUTGruss / Rössler-OřovskýBOHwalkover
Match #11Tóth / ZsigmondyHUNwalkover
Match #12Parke / RitchieGBRwalkover
Match #13Russell-Brown / SucklingCANwalkover
Match #14Žemla / ŽemlaBOHwalkover
Match #15Ball-Greene / EavesGBRwalkover
Match #16Decugis / GermotFRAwalkover

Round Two

Date7 July 1908
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the quarter-finals.
MatchDate/TimePairNOCResultPairNOC
Match #107 JulCrawley / PowellGBR7-5, 6-3, 6-2Foulkes / PowellCAN
Match #207 JulHillyard / DohertyGBRVitus / ŽemlaBOHwalkover
Match #307 JulDixon / CazaletGBR6-4, 6-0, 3-6, 6-2van Lennep / van LennepNED
Match #407 JulGauntlett / KitsonRSA3-6, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3Froitzheim / SchomburgkGER
Match #507 JulZborzil / PiepesAUTIvanka / LauberHUNwalkover
Match #607 JulRitchie / ParkeGBR6-1, 6-0, 6-3Zsigmondy / TóthHUN
Match #707 JulRussell-Brown / SucklingCANŽemla / ŽemlaBOHwalkover
Match #807 JulDecugis / GermotFRABall-Greene / EavesGBRwalkover

Quarter-Finals

Date9 July 1908
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the semi-finals.
MatchDate/TimePairNOCResultPairNOC
Match #109 JulHillyard / DohertyGBR10-8, 6-1, 7-9, 7-5Crawley / PowellGBR
Match #209 JulDixon / CazaletGBR6-2, 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3Gauntlett / KitsonRSA
Match #309 JulRitchie / ParkeGBR7-5, 6-4, 6-2Zborzil / PiepesAUT
Match #409 JulDecugis / GermotFRARussell-Brown / SucklingCANwalkover

Semi-Finals

Date10 July 1908
FormatWinner of each match advanced to the final.
MatchDate/TimePairNOCResultPairNOC
Match #110 JulHillyard / DohertyGBR5-7, 2-6, 6-4, 17-15, 6-4Dixon / CazaletGBR
Match #210 JulRitchie / ParkeGBRDecugis / GermotFRAwalkover

Final Round

Date11 July 1908
MatchDate/TimePairNOCResultPairNOC
Match 1/211 JulHillyard / DohertyGBR9-7, 7-5, 9-7Ritchie / ParkeGBR