Country (sports) Japan Wimbledon QF (1937) Died January 30, 1997 French Open 2R (1935) Wimbledon QF (1937) Turned pro 1932 | Wimbledon 4R (1934) Name Jiro Yamagishi Retired 1953 US Open 4R (1937) Role Tennis Player Highest ranking No. | |
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Born 23 May 1912
Moji, Japan ( 1912-05-23 ) | ||
Jiro Yamagishi (山岸二郎, Yamagishi Jirō, 23 May 1912 – 30 January 1997) was an amateur tennis player from Japan who competed primarily in the 1930s.
He competed in the Wimbledon Championships in 1934, 1935 and 1937. In the singles event his best result was reaching the fourth round in 1934, losing to eventual finalist Jack Crawford. In 1937 he made it to the quarterfinal of the doubles competition, partnering Fumiteru Nakano, and the mixed doubles event, with Betty Nuthall.
Yamagishi won the singles title at the Surrey Championships in 1934 in all Japanese final against Hideo Nishimura he was a finalist at the Kent Championships the same year but then went on to win the title twice in 1935 and 1937.
Between 1934 and 1938 he was a part of the Japanese Davis Cup team and played in six ties, compiling a record of eight wins and ten losses. In 1934 he was the roommate of Jiro Sato on board the ship sailing to Europe for the Davis Cup match against Australia in the second round of the 1934 International Lawn Tennis Challenge. On 5 April 1934 at 11:30 p.m. he discovered that Sato was missing and had committed suicide by jumping overboard.
In October 1937 he was narrowly defeated in three sets by World no. 1 Don Budge at the Pacific Coast Championships in Berkeley.
He was ranked No. 8 in the world by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph in 1938.
In a 1934 article Fred Perry compared Yamagishi's playing style to Sato and stated that his service was superior to Sato's.