R.B. Powell

Major Accomplishments

Member of the first Canadian Davis Cup team in 1913 and again in 1914.
Only Canadian male to reach the singles quarter-finals at Wimbledon.
Won All England Plate at Wimbledon in 1909.

Biography

R.B. (Bobby) Powell was a playing captain on the first Canadian Davis Cup team in 1913. He led the team to two victories that year over South Africa in the first round (4-1) and Belgium (5-0) in the second round. They eventually lost to the US 3-0 in the final round to Challenge and the US went on to win the Challenge Round. This is t he farthest that Canada has ever progressed in Davis Cup competition. Powell was also a member of the team in 1914, which lost to Australasia the eventual winners.

Powell was born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia. He was the founder of the North Pacific International Lawn Tennis Association (NPILTA) in 1904. He organized a meeting among prestigious West Coast tennis clubs as he wanted to culminate a constitution that would be adopted by all clubs in that region.

Powell was an elite Canadian player, who competed nationally and internationally. He won several singles titles including the Western Canadian and Pacific Northwest in Tacoma in 1901, the British Columbia in 1903 and the Oregon State in 1904.

In 2000 he was inducted into the USTA Pacific Northwest Hall of Fame.