Since its debut in 1881 and for the next 31 years, the U.S. National Men’s Singles Championship trophy was property of an Eastern fraternity of players. That all changed in 1912 when Maurice Evans McLoughlin, born in Nevada and groomed on the public parks of Northern California, knocked those gates down, becoming the first Westerner to win the title, coming back from two sets down to stun Wallace Johnson in five sets at the Newport Casino, 3-6, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.
Comfortable on eastern soil, McLoughlin repeated as champion in 1913 over Richard Norris Williams in four sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1. McLoughlin’s game was built on athleticism, speed, and power, traits that were emerging throughout the game. He was nicknamed “The California Comet,” an appropriate description for a player who defeated his opponents – and amazed spectators – with his flashy play. He employed a cannonball serve, decisive volleys and punishing overhead smashes, displayed with style and pizazz.
McLoughlin and Tom Bundy, another Westerner who hailed from Los Angeles, California, were a formidable doubles team, winning the U.S. National Men’s Doubles Championship three straight years (1912-14) and were finalists in 1915. Although McLoughlin had a brief seven-year career, it was replete with success. He was ranked in the Top 10 seven straight years (1909-1915) and when world rankings began in 1913 he earned the No. 1 position in 1914. In 1913 he won the all-comers at Wimbledon over Stanley Doust in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 and then became the first American finalist in history, falling to defending champion Tony Wilding, 8-6, 6-3, 10-8. McLoughlin was a mainstay on the United States Davis Cup Team from 1909-13. The matches reportedly drew 14,000 people daily and McLoughlin’s was heralded as a star. He took a hiatus from tennis, serving in the Army during World War I, but his return to competitive play saw a far different player, an easy dismissal in the quarterfinals of 1919 U.S. National Championships against Williams, hastening his early departure from the game.
