Clifford Samuel Sutter was an American tennis player.
Background
Clifford Sutter was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Fred W. Sutter, who died December 17, 1943 and resided at 5526 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans. Fred W. Sutter was a bakery owner who, with the help of neighbors with whom he wished to play tennis, built his own grass tennis court on two vacant lots adjacent to Sutter"s property on Loyola (formerly Franklin) Avenue in New Orleans, and Fred W. Sutter"s sons Eddie, Cliff and Ernie grew up from early childhood playing on that court.
Career
At the United States. National Championships, Sutter reached the semifinals in 1932 which he lost in five sets to World northern He reached the quarterfinals in 1930, 1933 and 1934. Sutter was ranked World Number.
5 for 1932 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph.
In 1991 Sutter was inducted into the USTA Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame.
Achievements
Cliff Sutter became the only male New Orleanian to play the main draw singles at Wimbledon, in 1933, where he beat Germany"s Baron Gottfried von Cramm (who would later win the French Championship twice, 1934 & "36, reach the Wimbledon final twice, 1935 & "36, and the United States final once, 1937). Cliff"s younger brother Ernie, who like Cliff won the Intercollegiate singles twice in the 1930s, was severely wounded while serving in the United States. Army in North Africa in 1943 during World World War II, curtailing his tennis career. Sutter played his collegiate tennis at Tulane University, where he won the National Collegiate Athletic Association singles championship in 1930 and 1932.
In 1931, he won the singles championship and was a doubles finalist at the Tri-State Tennis Tournament (current Cincinnati Masters), defeating Bruce Barnes in the singles final.
He also won the doubles title in Cincinnati in 1930 with his long-time tennis partner Maurice "Dukey" Bayon. 1 and eventual champion Ellsworth Vines.
Ernie won the National Collegiate Athletic Association singles for Tulane twice, 1936-1937, reached the quarterfinals in singles in Cincinnati in 1934, and once beat Bobby Riggs on clay in the River Oaks tournament in Houston, shortly before Riggs would win Wimbledon in 1939.