Ichiya Kumagae

Kumagai Ichiya (Japanese熊 谷 一 弥, modern:熊 谷 一 弥; born September 10, 1890 in Omuta, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan, † August 16, 1968 ibid ), in English often than Ichiya Kumagae, was a Japanese tennis player.

Achievements

From 1910 he studied at Keio University and joins the tennis club. First he plays soft tennis until 1913 he moves to correct tennis. In 1914 he became vice champion in singles Manila Championship 1915 at the Asia Cup champion in singles and runner-up in doubles, and at the 2nd Far Eastern Championship champion in singles and doubles. In 1916 he graduated from the university and goes to the tennis - study in the United States. In 1917 he joins the company, Mitsubishi, is master at the 3rd Far Eastern Championship in singles and doubles again and is set to New York. From then on, he took part in U.S. Championships, where at No. 3, 1920 at No. 5 and 1921, he was number 7 in the respective year lists 1918 Platz 7, 1919.

Kumagai Ichiya won at the Olympic Summer Games in Antwerp in 1920 in doubles with his compatriot Kashio Seiichiro the silver medal. They lost in the final the British Oswald Turnbull and Max Woosnam in four sets 2:6, 7:5, 5:7 and 5:7. In individual Kumagai also took the silver medal after the later Olympic champion Louis Raymond lost the final in four sets 7:5, 4:6, 5:7 and 4:6. Kumagai Ichiya thus won for Japan the only medals in tennis in the history of the Olympic Games.

Furthermore reached Kumagai became the first Japanese in 1918, the semifinals of the U.S. Tennis Championships (now the U.S. Open) and was also Japan's first Davis Cup captain. He led his team to the finals in 1921, but it lost to the United States with 0:5. The Japanese established with Shimizu Zenzo the sport of tennis in his home country.