Bellevue Hosts Tennis Championships

Bellevue Hosts Tennis Championships. . , The War Years , In 1944 and 1945, William duPont, Jr. hosted three important tennis championships at Bellevue. The events brought national recognition to duPont's role in promoting tennis and to the sports center he created on this estate., During World War II while major tennis events such as the U.S. Nationals continued, many other tournaments were canceled throughout the country. William duPont, Jr. stepped forward when the Delaware State Women's Grass Court Championship lost its site to play and offered his estate at Bellevue. In 1945, duPont again hosted the women's tournament and the United States Tennis Association's men's event. This featured the second-ranked amateur Bill Talbert (who lived and trained at Bellevue) and third-ranked Pancho Segura. Margaret Osborne, later Mrs. William duPont, Jr., was the stand-out winner in both the 1944 and 1945 women's championships, while competing against eight of the top-ten women players in the country., At the center of it all was William duPont, Jr. and his athletic center. The events were free and open to the public, and overflow crowds watched from the grass incline. There was also a clear view from the house to the tennis courts. Wilmington newspapers covering the event often commented on "William duPont, Jr.'s beautiful Bellevue Manor.",

The 1944 Delaware State Women's Grass Court Championship attracted eight of the top-ranking women players in the country: , 1. Pauline Betz, Los Angeles, California , 2. Louis Brough, Los Angeles, California , 3. Doris Hart, Miami, Florida , 4. Margaret Osborne, San Francisco, California , 5. Dorothy May Bundy, Santa Monica, California , 6. Mary Arnold, Los Angeles, California , 7. Dorothy Head, Alameda, California , 8. Did Not Attend , 9. Helen Rihbany, New York City, New York , 10. Did Not Attend

, [Captions:] , Margaret Osborne (left) and Louis Brough (right) descend the stone steps to the tennis courts at the 1944 Delaware State Women's Grass Court Championship, held at Bellevue. William duPont, Jr. in hat and with characteristic pipe, follow. Photo courtesy of Margaret Osborne duPont., An article appearing in the Wilmington Morning News on August 1, 1944, announced the opening day Bellevue of the tennis championships. Photo courtesy of the University of Delaware Library., The remodeled Bellevue Hall looks down on the grass court during the Delaware State Women's Grass Court Championship, 1944. Photo courtesy of Margaret Osborne duPont.