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Bill Sidwell
Full name Oswald William Thomas Sidwell
Country (sports)  Australia
Residence Sydney, Australia
Born (1920-04-16)16 April 1920
Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia
Died 19 August 2021(2021-08-19) (aged 101)
Caringbah, New South Wales, Australia
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Retired 1951
Plays Right-handed
Singles
Highest ranking No. 10 (1949, John Olliff)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open SF (1948, 1949, 1950)
Wimbledon 4R (1950)
US Open 3R (1947, 1948)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open F (1949)
French Open F (1947)
Wimbledon F (1947, 1950)
US Open W (1949)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open F (1948)
Team competitions
Davis Cup F (1948Ch, 1949Ch)

Oswald William Thomas Sidwell (born April 16, 1920, died August 19, 2021), known as Bill Sidwell, was a talented tennis player from Australia. He was known for his strong doubles play.

Bill reached the finals of five major tennis tournaments, called Grand Slams, in doubles. He won one of these big titles. This was the 1949 U.S. National Championships, where he played with his Australian teammate, John Bromwich.

He also represented Australia in the Davis Cup, a big international team tennis competition. His team made it to the finals in both 1948 and 1949. However, they lost to the United States team both times. When he was younger, Bill won the Australian Open boys' singles event in 1939.

In 1949, a tennis expert named John Olliff ranked Bill as the 10th best player in the world. Bill loved sports his whole life. Even when he was 88 years old, he was still helping to organize golf events. He lived a very long life, turning 100 in April 2020. Bill passed away in August 2021, at the age of 101.

Grand Slam Finals: Doubles

Bill Sidwell played in five Grand Slam doubles finals. He won one of these important matches.

Winning Moment: US National Championships

Bill won the US National Championships in 1949. He played with his fellow Australian, John Bromwich. They beat another Australian team in a great match.

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1949 US National Championships Grass Australia John Bromwich Australia Frank Sedgman
Australia George Worthington
6–4, 6–0, 6–1

Runners-Up: Doubles Finals

Bill reached the finals four other times but didn't win. These were at the French Championships, Wimbledon twice, and the Australian Championships.

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1947 French Championships Clay United States Tom Brown South Africa Eustace Fannin
South Africa Eric Sturgess
4–6, 6–4, 4–6, 3–6
Loss 1947 Wimbledon Grass United Kingdom Tony Mottram United States Bob Falkenburg
United States Jack Kramer
6–8, 3–6, 3–6
Loss 1949 Australian Championships Grass Australia Geoff Brown Australia John Bromwich
Australia Adrian Quist
6–1, 5–7, 2–6, 3–6
Loss 1950 Wimbledon Grass Australia Geoff Brown Australia John Bromwich
Australia Adrian Quist
5–7, 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 2–6

Grand Slam Finals: Mixed Doubles

Bill also reached one Grand Slam final in mixed doubles, where a male and female player team up.

Runners-Up: Mixed Doubles Final

He played in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Championships in 1948.

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1948 Australian Championships Grass Australia Thelma Coyne Long Australia Nancye Wynne Bolton
Australia Colin Long
5–7, 6–4, 6–8
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