Pat Spence

Patrick Spence (11 February 1898 – 22 November 1983) was a South African tennis player. He was born in Queenstown, South Africa. He competed mainly in Great Britain and found his form in hard court tournaments. He notably won the mixed doubles championships at Wimbledon in 1928 with Elizabeth Ryan and at the French Open in 1931 with Betty Nuthall. He also competed at the 1924 Summer Olympics. He was active from 1922 to 1936 and won 14 career singles titles on grass and clay courts outdoors, as well as indoor wood courts.

Patrick Spence began his tennis prominence in Great Britain in 1922 when he became Scottish champion after winning the local tournament. The next year he defended his title.

In 1924 he took the Middlesex Championships against compatriot Louis Raymond, with whom he also won the doubles title, but lost the mixed doubles title against him. He first became the covered courts champion at the Queen's Club the same year by beating reigning champion Patrick Wheatley in three sets.

In April 1925 he won the British Hard Court Championships over Charles Kingsley. He also won the mixed doubles with Evelyn Colyer. A week later, at the Surrey Hard Court Championships, he defeated Randolph Lycett of Australia in straight sets. At another hard court tournament in London he was defeated by Indian Sydney M. Jacob in five sets. He shared the doubles victory with Raymond and the mixed doubles with Colyer. In September he won the North London Hard Courts Championships on clay at the Gipsy Lawn Tennis Club, Stamford Hill against Harry Lewis-Barclay. In October he successfully defended his covered courts title against Edward Higgs. That month he failed to capture the Drive Club Open Tournament title.

In 1926 he was a finalist for the Kent Championships.

In 1927 Spence reached the semi-finals of the French championships, beating Frank Hunter before losing to René Lacoste. He met Lacoste for his second British Hard Court Championships trophy but was subdued in straight sets. He also lost the doubles against the French team of Lacoste and Brugnon. The next year they had their rematch also in the final and Lacoste overcame Spence for the second time.

In 1928, he was upset in the final of the Kent Championships for the second time. He also lost the Middlesex Championships to Randolph Lycett. However, he was more successful in his mixed doubles matches, including the final of the Nottingham Championships, which he won with Betty Nuthall. One of his bigger accomplishments came when he took the 1928 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles contest with Elizabeth Ryan.

In 1930, as a member of the International Tennis Club of Great Britain, he participated in the team challenge against Rot-Weiss Club of Berlin, winning all of his four matches (two singles and two doubles) and defeating high-profile players such as Daniel Prenn and Heinrich Kleinschroth. Also in 1930 he lost the London Covered Courts Championships to Yoshiro Ohta, but as many times before he was triumphant in the mixed contest with his recurring partner Nuthall.