1888 Men's Tennis season

In 1888 the twelfth edition of the 1888 Wimbledon Championships was held, this saw the victory of Ernest Renshaw[2] who defeated the Briton Ernest Wool Lewis in the final of the preliminary tournament by 7–9, 6–1, 8–6, 6–4 . Renshaw then defeated defending champion Herbert Lawford in the challenge round to claim the title for the first time. In the fourth edition of the men's doubles the brothers William Renshaw and Ernest Renshaw[3] regained the title they had not been able to defend the previous year by beating the title holders Herbert Wilberforce and Patrick Bowes-Lyon in the challenge round per 2–6, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3.

In 1888 the eighth edition of the Irish Championships was also played where the Briton Ernest Renshaw prevailed who defeated James Willoughby Hamilton 6-4 5-7 6-4 3-6 6–2 in the final. In the U.S. National Championships, (today known as the US Open) held on the grass courts of the Newport Casino in Newport in the United States, the American Henry Slocum prevailed in the men's singles, defeating his compatriot Howard Augustus Taylor in 3 sets in the final of the preliminary tournament with the score of 6-4 6-1 6–0. Richard Sears after his seventh consecutive victory at the US National Championships he no longer participated in the tournament so the victory was awarded to Taylor without playing the challenge round. In addition to the men's singles tournament at the Staten Island Cricket Club in New York, the doubles tournament was also held where Oliver Campbell and Valentine Gill Hall prevailed, beating Edward MacMullen and Clarence Hobart in the final.

In the New South Wales Championships in Sydney, the Australian Dudley Webb prevailed in the men's singles, beating his compatriot Charles W. Cropper in the final. In the British Covered Court Championships in London, one of the earliest tournaments in tennis history to be played on indoor courts, Ernest Lewis prevailed in the men's singles defeating Ernest George Meers.

Included:[4]

Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921),[5] in some tournaments not all.

Notes 2:'This is an incomplete roll of tournaments staged this year

Key

March

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
March	Tropical Championships St. Augustine Lawn Tennis Club St. Augustine, United States Wood (i) Singles - Doubles	Henry Graff Trevor 5 sets	C.E. Garrett
		Challenger Thomas Sterling Beckwith
10 Mar	Bombay Gymkhana Club Tournament Bombay Gymkhana Club Bombay, India Grass Singles - Doubles	F. Ward 2-6 6-5 6-3	T.C. Sangster	George McMahon Mr. Agnew Turner

April

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
17 April[10]	British Covered Court Championships London, Great Britain Wood (i) Singles - Doubles	Ernest Wool Lewis 6–3, 6–0, 6–1	Ernest Meers

May

Week	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
1 May[11]	New South Wales Championships Sydney, Australia Singles - Doubles	Dudley Webb 6–0, 6–4, 7–5	Charles W. Cropper
20 May.[12]	Ceylon Championships Nuwara Eliya Lawn Tennis Club Nuwara Eliya, Ceylon Clay Singles – Doubles	Charles Edward De Fonblanque 6-4 6-5 4-6 4-6 6-4	Edward George Farquharson	L.E. Dalton Thomas W. Gallwey	James Parsons Dove M. Findlay Edgar Vanderspar
21 May[13]	Irish Championships Dublin, Ireland Singles - Doubles	Ernest Renshaw 6–4, 5–7, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2	Willoughby Hamilton
26 May.	Fitzwilliam Club Championships Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club Dublin, Ireland Grass	Willoughby Hamilton 6-4 6-3 6-1	Harold Segerson Mahony	J.F. Hughes J.T. Maxwell	Ernest Henry Greene Charles Pierce Rowley James Edward Mahon C. Roberts
		Challenger Tom Campion
26 May.	West of Scotland Championships Pollockshields Scotland Grass	J.B. Gray 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4	W.T. Hendry	C. Gray J.T.C. MacKinlay

June

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
Jun	Broughty Ferry Open Broughty Ferry LTC Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Angus, Scotland Clay Singles - Doubles	Alfred Aitken Thomson 6-3 8-6 3-6 7-5	Arthur Nevile John Story
4 Jun.	Whitehouse Open Whitehouse Lawn Tennis Club Edinburgh, Great Britain Clay Singles – Doubles	Herbert Bowes-Lyon 6-1 8-6 6-1	George Nelson Stenhouse	Walter William Chamberlain T. Leigh MacLachlan	George Kerr Richard Thomson
4 Jun	Middle States Championships Hoboken, New Jersey, United States Singles - Doubles	Edward Peale MacMullen 6-0, 6–4, 0–6, 8-6	Robert Livingston Beeckman
4 Jun[14]	West of England Championships Bath, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Harry S. Barlow 6–4, 6–3, 8–10, 3–6, 8–6	James Baldwin
11 Jun[15]	Welsh Championships Penarth, Wales, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Willoughby Hamilton 6–1, 6–1, 6–0	Ernest de Sylly Hamilton Browne
11 Jun|[16][17]	Nottinghamshire Championships Nottingham, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Frederick William Snook w.o.	Herbert Durrant Snook
11 Jun|[18]	East Gloucestershire Championships Cheltenham, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Harry S. Barlow 7-5 6-3 4-6 2-6 ret.	Ernest de Sylly Hamilton Browne
13 Jun[19]	Southern Championships Baltimore, Maryland, United States Singles - Doubles	Alexander Hamilton Stump Post ?	Leigh Bonsal	Rodmond Vernon Beach William Austin Tomes	Charles L. McCauley Yates Pennington Oscar R. Woodward
		Leigh Bonsal L.V. Lemoyne
17 Jun	Macclesfield Open Macclesfield LTC Macclesfield, Cheshire, England Outdoor Grass Singles	Henry Guy Nadin w.o.	G.E. Lowe	John Barlow Thistlethwaite G.H. Willoughby	W. Burgess H.R. Greaves J.A. Rooke W. Twyford
18 Jun[20]	London Championships London, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Ernest Wool Lewis 6-0 6-1 6-2	Harry S. Barlow
18 Jun[21]	Kent Championships Beckenham, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Ernest Meers 5–7, 3–6, 9–7, 6–3, 6–2	Frederick A. Bowlby
18 Jun[22]	Northern Championships Manchester, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Willoughby Hamilton 6-1 8-6 6-1	Harry Grove
21 Jun.	Northumberland Cricket Club and Lawn Tennis Tournament Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne, England Grass Singles – Doubles	Kenneth R. Marley 6-1 6-2 6-2	Harold Gurney Pease	George Bloomfield Garvey Harold King	W. Armstrong Arthur Wellesley Hallward A. Jackson Wilson Pease
25 Jun.	Waterloo Tournament Waterloo Lawn Tennis Club Liverpool, Great Britain Grass Singles – Doubles	Jacob Gaitskell Brown w.o.	Herbert Chipp	William Parkfield Wethered Ernest Joseph Soares	P.G. Hall Andrew Laurie Macfie G. Smith Beresford St. George Verschoyle
30 Jun	Edgbaston Open Tournament Edgbaston Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club Edgbaston, Warwickshire, England Grass Singles - Doubles	James Baldwin 7-9 6-0 6-2 6-4	Charles Hoadley Ashe Ross	G.E. Lowe Frank Noon	George Ernest Dixon Brown Marmaduke Strickland Constable John Redfern Deykin Noel Maitland Farrer
		John Redfern Deykin Maud Watson 0-6 7-5 6-2	George Brown Bertha Steedman
30 Jun.	Midland Counties Championships Edgbaston Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club Edgbaston, England Grass Singles – Doubles	Harry Stanley Scrivener 6-2 6-0 9-7	Henry Guy Nadin	Francis Russell Burrow G.E. Lowe	George Reston Brewerton W.R. Craig Percival Du Sautoy Leather Herbert Haden Monckton
		Challenger John Redfern Deykin

July

Week	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
Jul	Natal Championships Brea Lawn Tennis Ground Durban, South Africa Singles - Doubles	William J. Grant 6-2 6-3 6-1	A. Butcher	Samuel Francis Beningfield Mr. Weise	W.E. Butcher Mr. Collinson Mr. Short
		Challenger Reuben Widdows Beningfield
Jul	Houndiscombe Tennis Tournament Houndiscombe, Plymouth, Devon, Great Britain Grass Singles - Doubles	Wilfred Milne 6-1 6-0	C.R. Broad
Jul	Norton Tennis Tournament Norton, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, Great Britain Clay Singles - Doubles	H.C. King 6-2 4-6 10-8 7-5	Frederick T. Bradbury
2 Jul.	County Dublin Championships Lansdowne Lawn Tennis Club Dublin, Ireland Grass Singles – Doubles	Joshua Pim 6-3 6-4 9-7	William Drumond Hamilton	Thomas Harrison Griffiths Frank Stoker	C.P. Brett Manliffe Goodbody J. Godley William Henry Mahon
2 Jul.	Somersetshire Championships Taunton, Somerset, England Grass Singles – Doubles	James Baldwin 1-6 7-5 6-3	Ernest Legassicke Hancock *	H.F. Wilkinson
2 Jul	Northern Counties Challenge Cup Norton, County Durham, Great Britain Grass Singles - Doubles	E.W. Fletcher 6-2 6-3 6-0	Henry Bolckow *	Arthur Burgess Crosby	Frederick T. Bradbury George E. Newby Harold Gurney Pease
2 Jul[23]	Derbyshire Championships Buxton, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Thomas Spread Campion 7-5 6-4 7-5	Percy Bateman Brown
4 Jul.	Englewood Open Field Club Englewood, New Jersey, United States Clay Singles – Doubles	Oliver Campbell 6–2 1–6 5–7 6–4 6–4	Albert Empie Wright	Grant Notman William Austin Tomes	Theodore M. Banks Clarence Hobart F.A. Kellogg Richard W. Stevens
7 Jul	Cambridgeshire Lawn Tennis Tournament Cambridge, Great Britain Singles – Doubles	Charles Hoadley Ashe Ross 0-6 8-6 7-5 6-4	Alfred E. Walker	Percy Bateman Brown Herbert Ramon Yglesias	F.H. Aves Horace Corthorn Elgood L.C.P. Wolferston F.R. Wilcox
7 Jul[24]	Wimbledon Championships London, Great Britain Singolare - Doppio	Ernest Renshaw 6–3, 7–5, 6–0 [	Herbert Lawford
		Ernest Renshaw William Renshaw , 2–6, 1–6, 6–3, 6–4, 6–3	Patrick Bowes-Lyon Herbert Wilberforce
8 Jul[25]	Western Championships[26] Scarlett Ribbon Club Chicago, United States Singles - Doubles	Charles Amherst Chase 6-3 6-3 6-1	Samuel Thompson Chase	J.W. Carver	T.L. McClung E.A. Valentine
		Challenger E.W. McClellan
14 Jul[27]	Champion Hill Tournament East Dulwich, Great Britain Grass Singles - Doubles	Wilberforce Eaves 6-4 6-4	G.A. Adair
16 Jul.	Warwickshire Championships Leamington Spa, Great Britain Grass Singles – Doubles	Charles Hoadley Ashe Ross 6-3 1-6 6-3 6-0	John Redfern Deykin	Francis Russell Burrow G.S. Back	William Drumond Hamilton G.B. Hodson J.H. Mitchell Hampden Wilkieson
23 Jul[28]	Ilkley Open Tournament Ilkley, Great Britain Grass Singles - Doubles	A.G. Pease 5-7 6-1 6-4 6-4	E.W. Fletcher
23 Jul[29]	Yorkshire Association and County Open Tournament (later Yorkshire Championships) Ilkley, Great Britain Grass Singles - Doubles	William Drummond Hamilton 6-3 6-2 6-2	E.W. Fletcher	George Dixon Brown Arthur Godfrey Pease	Percy Bateman Brown Harold Weston Carlton Walter Mace Shipman Archibald Thomson
23 Jul[30]	Middlesex Championships Chiswick Park, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Ernest Wool Lewis 6-2 6-2 6-2	Ernest George Meers
24 July.	Southampton Invitation Meadow Club Southampton, New York , US Surface ? Singles – Doubles	Howard Augustus Taylor 6-8 6-1 1-6 6-3 6-3	Henry Warner Slocum Jr.	Oliver Samuel Campbell Foxhall Parker Keene	F.M. Bacon J.F. Bacon D. Folsom William Austin Tomes
		Challenger Joseph Sill Clark
27 Jul[31]	Northumberland Championships Constabulary Cricket Ground Newcastle upon Tyne, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Patrick Bowes-Lyon 6-0 6-0 6-0	Percival Charles Du Sautoy Leather

August

Week	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
Aug[32]	Gore Court Championships Sittingbourne, Great Britain Clay Singles - Doubles	Wilberforce Vaughan Eaves 5-6 6-3 6-5	D. Fuller
1 Aug.	Derbyshire Championships Buxton LTC Buxton, Great Britain Grass Singles – Doubles	Tom Campion 7-5 6-4 7-5	Percy Bateman Brown	T.G. Hill Archibald Thomson	Frederick T. Bradbury Harold Weston Carlton William Drumond Hamilton George Hillyard
2 Aug[33]	Exmouth Open Exmouth, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Harry Grove 6–1, 6–3, 6–3	Herbert Chipp
2 Aug	U.S. National Championships Newport, United States Singles - Doubles	Henry Slocum 6-4 6-1 6-0	Howard Augustus Taylor
		Oliver Campbell Valentine Hall 6-4 6-2 6-2	Clarence Hobart Edward MacMullen
6 Aug.	West of Ireland Championships Sligo Ireland Grass	Willoughby Hamilton 4-6 6-2 6-3 5-7 6-2	Arthur de Courcy Wilson	Effingham Carroll McDowell Cecil John Cramer-Roberts	George Hewson Chaloner Knox George Stepney Charles Edward Wylam
6 Aug.	Exmouth Tournament Exmouth Lawn Tennis Club Exmouth, England Singles – Doubles	Ernest Wool Lewis 6-1 6-3 6-3	Herbert Chipp	Harry Grove George Hillyard	Arnold Wyersdale Blake John Redfern Deykin Conway John Morgan Frank Noon
7 Aug	Waterford Tournament Waterford Cricket Club Waterford, Ireland Grass Singles - Doubles	William Drumond Hamilton 4-6 6-4 6-1 6-3	E. Bourke	G. Butler John M. Brown	Henry Joseph Gallwey Raymond De La Poer H.T. Ravenhill W.J. Richardson
		Challenger Manliffe Francis Goodbody
11 Aug[34]	Northwestern Championships Minneapolis, United States Singles - Doubles	R.D. Applegate 6-4, 6-5	H. Cramer
11 Aug[35]	Scottish Championships St Andrews, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Patrick Bowes-Lyon 1–6, 0–6, 10–8, 6–2, 3–1 ret.	Harry Grove
15 Aug.[36]	East of Scotland Championships United College Grounds St Andrews, Scotland Grass Singles – Doubles	Alfred A. Thomson 8-6 6-4 6-8 5-7 7-5	Richard Millar Watson	Stuart Leslie Bathurst William Henry Blyth-Martin
15 Aug[37]	New England Championships New Haven, United States Singles - Doubles	Henry Slocum 8-6 5-7 6-4 4-6 6-2	Edward Peale MacMullen
21 Aug.	South of Scotland Championships Moffat Scotland Grass	Alfred Aitken Thomson 6-1 6-3 4-6 6-4	J. Scott	Francis Pinhorn G. Scott	Stuart Leslie Bathurst Guy Hannaford Bargeny McCulloch
21 Aug[38]	Torquay Lawn Tennis Tournmament Torquay, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Ernest Wool Lewis 3-6 0-6 6-1 6-4 6-0	Herbert Chipp	J. Cassavetti George Hillyard
23 Aug[39]	Seabright Invitational Tournament Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club Rumson, New Jersey, United States Singles - Doubles	H. Alexander 6-2 6-4	W. Ward
27 Aug[40]	North of England Championships Scarborough, Great Britain Singles - Doubles	Ernest de Sylly Hamilton Browne 6-1 6-1 6-1	Henry Guy Nadin

September

Week	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
3 Sep.	Sheffield and Hallamshire Tournament Sheffield and Hallamshire LTC Sheffield, Yorkshire, Great Britain Grass Singles – Doubles	G.E. Lowe 6-2 6-1 2-6 6-0	Henry Guy Nadin	Frederick T. Bradbury Walter Mace Shipman	E.W. Brooke David Davy G.F. Padley W.F. Rodgers
3 Sept[41]	South of England Championships Eastbourne, Great Britain Grass Singles - Doubles	Arthur George Ziffo 4–6, 6–2, 7–5, 6–3	Harry Sibthorpe Barlow
3 Sep	Southern California Championships Santa Monica, United States Hard Singles - Doubles	Robert Peyton Carter w.o.	William Henry Young
10 Sep.	Boulogne International Tennis Club Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer, France Clay Singles – Doubles	Edgar John Chippendale 6-2 6-1 6-2	Lewin Venn Alexander	W. Egerton H.J. Gibson
		Challenger William C. Taylor
15 Sep	Queensland Championships Toowong Sports Ground Brisbane, Australia Grass Singles - Doubles	Arthur Fielder Taylor 12-4	Harold De Winton	Dudley David Pontifex	Ernest John Gilligan Charles Follett Stewart Pennell

October

Date	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
14 Oct	Intercollegiate Championships New Haven, United States Grass Singles - Doubles	Philip Shelton Sears 7-5 4-6 6-2 4-6 6-2	Valentine Gill Hall
25 Oct	Victorian Championships Melbourne, Cricket Club Grounds Melbourne, Australia Hard Singles - Doubles	Arthur Colquhoun[42] 6-3 6-4 6-3	John Hartley
25 Oct [43]	Southern Fall Championships Highland Country Club Washington D.C., United States Singles - Doubles	Frederick Sherwood Mansfield 6-1 6-4 6-2	Deane B. Miller	Francis L. V. Hoppin J.W. Smith	Rodmond Vernon Beach C.H. Ludington jr Arthur Landon Rives

December

Week	Tournament	Winner	Finalist	Semi-finalist	Quarter-finalist
24 Dec[44]	New Zealand Championships Napier, New Zealand Singles - Doubles	Percival Clennell Fenwick 4-6 4-6 6-1 6-4 9-7	Minden Fenwick	Edward Robert Boddington Richard Dacre Harman	Charles Edward Stuart Gillies Charles Dugald Kennedy Thomas Harold Rawson F. Wilding
		Miss E. Gordon F. Wilding 6-1 6-3	Miss Hilda Hitchings C. D. Kennedy

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