Kho Sin-Kie

In this Chinese name, the family name is Kho.

Kho Sin-Khie (Chinese: 许承基; pinyin: Xǔ Chéngjī; September 2, 1912 – January 31, 1947) was an Indonesian-born tennis player who represented the Republic of China in the Davis Cup.^[1][7] He was from the Peranakan Chinese ethnic group.^[2] He was the first Chinese player ever to win a major international tournament.^[8] He was a two time winner of the British Hard Court Championships, and the Surrey Grass Court Championships on one occasion. He also won the Swiss International Championships (1939), Italian and Swedish champion as well.^[1]

Kho Sin-Khie

Kho Sin-Kie in 1939
Country (sports)	Republic of China
Born	(1912-09-02)2 September 1912 Banyumas Regency, Dutch East Indies^[1]
Died	31 January 1947(1947-01-31) (aged 34) London, United Kingdom
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Turned pro	1929 (amateur tour)^[2]
Singles
Career titles	21 ^[3]
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	4R (1936)^[4]
Wimbledon	4R (1938)^[5]
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	3R (1936)^[6]

Early years

Kho was born and raised in Java to a poor family^[9] in an eggplant farm where his father, Han Ting was the head of the village.^[10] He had three brothers and three sisters.^[10] After he had been dropped out of school^[9] he started playing tennis at the age of 14,^[2] while working in a sports equipment store.^[11] In the early years he had troubles to make his father understand his admiration for the game.^[12] In 1929, he won the Central Java Tennis Championship.^[2] In 1932, his parents died.^[10] He won the All-Java Championship in 1933.^[2] In 1933, he won the Chinese national championships topping Qiufei Hai of Shanghai.^[9] In 1935, he became the Chinese national champion for the second time after beating compatriot Khoo Hooi Hye^[13] and subsequently was named the top Chinese player.^[14] Local people raised money for him to support his post-graduate education in Switzerland.^[11] In 1936, he arrived to Great Britain to attend college, and he was offered a job at the Chinese Embassy.^[15] He studied commerce in London.^[8] Later he was sponsored by the Dunlop Rubber Company.^[9]

Tennis career

 

Kho Sin-Kie (second from left) in Poland in 1939

 

Headstone of Kho's grave

He played his first international matches in 1934 when he toured Sumatra challenging the Netherlands Davis Cup team.^[16] In Kisaran, he met Cornelius Bryan (Champion of Sumatra^[17]) whom he beat in three sets.^[16] In doubles, Bryan and team member Hendrik Timmer scored a three-set victory against the Chinese. Then they moved to Siantar where at the inaugural of the Simeloengoen Club two one-set matches were held. Bryan and Kho went toe-to-toe in singles with Kho victorious. Then he faced Alsbach and won six to four. This was followed by the doubles between Timmer-Bryan and Alsbach-Kho, which was abandoned due to Bryan's injury with Khos' leading one set and one break in the second, while the Bryan was serving to stay in the match.^[16] In Medan, he beat Bryan and had his match with Alsbach interrupted as it started raining.^[17]

In 1935, the Dutch Indies Tennis Association invited a couple of European players to play a series of exhibition matches in the Orient. In Surabaya, he paired with Nami to face Giorgio de Stefani and Enrique Maier and lost in two sets. Then the party traveled to Surakarta where singles matches were held and Kho faced de Stefani with the Italian coming out victoriously. Then on a rematch in Semarang, Kho prevailed for the first time over de Stefani in front a home crowd of two thousand.^[18] While touring America, Kho reached the doubles finals of the 1935 Kansas City Championships with Lewis D. Carson, losing to Wilbur Coen and William Kiley.^[19] The same year, he debuted in the Davis Cup against the United States Davis Cup team and lost all three of his rubbers.^[7]

Kho won numerous tournaments in Europe, most notably winning the British Hard Court Championships twice, in 1938 and 1939 and was a runner-up in 1946.^[20]

In 1934, he was scheduled to represent his country at the 1934 Far Eastern Games, which was cancelled.^[21] He met Giorgio de Stefani again for the Dutch Championships in 1936, losing to him.^[22] Also in 1936, he reached the fourth round of the 1936 French Championships in singles and reached the third round of the mixed doubles with Mademoiselle Terwinot.^[6]

In the New Year's Eve tournament of 1936–1937 at the Beausite L.T.C. de Cannes, he defeated Vladimir Landau and won the doubles as well with him.^[23] At the same event, he and miss Simonne Mathieu won the mixed contest.^[24] In January 1937, he won the Monegasque Championships against Gaston Médécin.^[25] In February, he captured the Gallia L.T.C. de Cannes title, beating home favorite Jacques Brugnon in straight sets.^[26] They paired for the doubles of the Nice Lawn Tennis Club where they triumphed over Jean Lesueur and William Robertson. Kho also took the singles trophy.^[27] Also in February at Carlton Club of Cannes, Brugnon and Kho were on the opposite side in the mixed semifinals where they teamed with Simone Matthieu and Nancy Liebert respectively.^[28] In the end, the French couple advanced to the finals. For the men's doubles, Brugnon and Robertson formed a team this time and met in the final with Kho and Landau.^[28] In May, he clinched the Priory tournament from Daniel Prenn.^[29] In July, he won the Midlands Counties tournament in Edgbaston.^[30] In September, he was in both singles and doubles finals of the Hungarian International Championships in Budapest.^[31] He was a finalist for the Paris International Championships in the same month where he was beaten by Croatian Franjo Punčec.^[32]

In March 1938 at the International Championships of Cairo, he was defeated by Roderich Menzel in the semifinals.^[33] In April, he defended his South of France title against Swiss Max Ellmer and this time gained the doubles crown with Brugnon.^[34] In May, defeated Bunny Austin for the British Hard Court Championships title and won the doubles title as well with Irishman George Lyttleton-Rogers against the British duo of Donald Butler and Frank Wilde.^[35] In June, he reached the Queen's Club Championships final, defeated by Bunny Austin. In October, he won the Sussex Club title in Brighton from Dennis C. Coombe of New Zealand.^[36] Later that month, he reached the fourth round of the 1938 Wimbledon Championships, scoring victories over Harold Hare, Georg von Metaxa and Ian Collins.^[5]

In February 1939, he won his second Gallia championships in singles and doubles with Jacques Brugnon.^[37] In March, Brugnon and Kho lost the International Championships of Cairo doubles to the team of Gottfried von Cramm and Pat Hughes.^[38] In April, he claimed his first Italian trophy at the L.T.C. di Rome International Championships, defeating Constantin Tanacescu for the title.^[39] In May, he took the Surrey Grass Court Championships against Murray Deloford in straight sets.^[40] Later that year, he won the Hastings tournament.^[21]

In 1945, he won the Midland Counties Championships for the second time and retained his title the next year against Argentine Enrique Morea.^[41] In 1946, he went for the North of England Championships title at Scarborough, but was eliminated in both the singles and doubles finals by Jack Edwin Harper and Harper-Cam Malfroy respectively.^[42] In May, he served the first and only Davis Cup victory for the First Republic of China by winning all three of his rubbers against the Denmark Davis Cup team.^[7] While in London on 31 January 1947, Kho was admitted to hospital with double pneumonia and died soon after.^[20]

Kho appeared in six Davis Cup ties for China from 1935 to 1946.^[7] He won eight of his 18 rubbers.^[7] In the club level scene he represented the International Tennis Club of Great Britain.^[43]

During World War II

On January 27, 1940 he married Jane Margaret Gordon Balfour,^[44][45] daughter of E.J. Gordon Balfour, a judge in Ceylon. They met in England at the Queen's Club where both of them practised. They moved to the Dutch East Indies and stayed there for the time of the war.^[46] In order to help his country against the Empire of Japan he participated in a series of exhibition matches with Englishman Pat Hughes in the Malacca Lawn Tennis Club. The ticket sales income was transferred to the Malaya Patriotic Fund and the War Fund.^[47] In 1940 he became Malayan Champion in singles and mixed doubles.^[48] He continued on to get featured in exhibition matches in 1941.^[49]

Playing style

In a 1938 article contemporary Australian tennis player and subsequent chairman of Lawn Tennis Association of Victoria Mervyn Weston described Kho as a drop shot expert, who has a fine control over the ball disguising it so well that it reached a "deadly effect". He had a whipped forehand accompanied by an excellent net game and service and assisted by a formidable backhand. He possessed an athletic body type with a height of 5'11". He was a calm but opportunist player.^[8]

ILTF finals

Singles (21)

No	Year	Tournament	City	Surface	Opponent	Score
1.	1937	Cannes Beau Site New Year Meeting ^[50]	Cannes	Clay	Vladimir M. Landau	4–6, 6–4, 7–5, 5–7, 6–0
2.	1937	Monegasque Championships ^[50]	Monte Carlo	Clay	Gaston Médécin	6–3, 6–2, 6–3
3.	1937	Cannes Gallia ^[51]	Cannes	Clay	Jacques Brugnon	6–4, 6–3, 6–4
4.	1937	South of France Championships ^[52]	Nice	Clay	Jean Lesueur	13–11, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3
5.	1937	Athena Open ^[53]	Athens	Clay	Lazaros Stalios^[54]	6–4, 2–2, ret.
6.	1937	Mediterranean Championships^[55]	Athens	Clay	Giorgio de Stefani	9–7, 3–6, 10–8, 7–5
7.	1937	Nice 2nd Meeting ^[56]	Nice	Clay	Adam Baworowski	6–4, 6–0, 6–4
8.	1937	Hungarian International Championships	Budapest	Clay	Adam Baworowski	7–5, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3
9.	1937	Nice Grand Prix ^[57]	Nice	Clay	Adam Baworowski	6–1, 2–6, 6–0, 8–6
10.	1938	Cannes Carlton Club ^[58]	Cannes	Clay	William Robertson^[59]	6–3, 6–1, 6–3
11.	1938	South of France Championships	Nice	Clay	Max Ellmer	6–1, 2–6, 6–0, 8–6
12.	1938	British Hard Court Championships^[60]	Bournemouth	Clay	Bunny Austin	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 6–3
13.	1938	International Championships of Alexandria^[61]	Alexandria	Clay	Dragutin Mitić	6–2, 6–4, 10–8
14.	1938	Nice Grand Prix ^[62]	Nice	Clay	Max Ellmer	6–1, 2–6, 6–0, 8–6
15.	1939	Cannes Gallia ^[63]	Cannes	Clay	George Lyttleton-Rogers	6–4, 7–5, 6–2
16.	1939	Cannes Carlton Club ^[64]	Cannes	Clay	George Lyttleton-Rogers	6–3, 6–4, 6–0
17.	1939	Torneo Circolo Canottieri Roma	Rome	Clay	Constantin Tănăsescu	3–6, 6–0, 6–2, 6–3
18.	1939	British Hard Court Championships	Bournemouth	Clay	Choy Wai-Chuen	7–5, 6–1, 6–4
19.	1939	Surrey Grass Court Championships	Surbiton	Grass	Murray Deloford	6–2, 6–4
20.	1946^[65]	Midland Counties Championships	Egbaston	Grass	Choy Wai-Chuen	7–5, 6–1, 6–4
21.	1946	West of England Championships	Bristol	Grass	Ignacy Tłoczyński	6–4, 6–4

References

1. Sam Setyautama; Suma Mihardja (2008). Tokoh-tokoh etnis Tionghoa di Indonesia [Key people of ethnic Chinese in Indonesia] (in Indonesian). Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia. p. 129. ISBN 9789799101259. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
2. Leo Suryadinata (1995). Prominent Indonesian Chinese: Biographical Sketches. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 9789813055049.
3. "Tournament wins: Kho Sin-Khie". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
4. (PDF). fft.fr. Paris, France: Fédération Française de Tennis. 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
5. Phil Ploquin. "Wimbledon 1938". scoreshelf.com. Santa Clara, California, United States: Go Daddy. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
6. "Tennis" (PDF). Le Petit Dauphinois (in French). Grenoble, France: Joseph Besson. 60 (142): 57. May 21, 1936. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
7. Davis Cup Profile
8. Mervyn Weston (May 25, 1938). "New Stars of Tennis Firmament". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane, Australia: The Herald and Weekly Times. VI (1, 475): 12. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
9. [Overview of the Olympic Movement] (in Chinese). sports and fitness network. January 3, 2011. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
10. Yao Pengto (February 1995). [Tennis star Xu Chengji] (Thesis) (in Chinese). Beijing, China: China Academic Journal electronic magazine, Tsinghua University. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
11. 网球的起源与发展 [The origin and development of tennis] (in Chinese). Bengbu, China: Bengbu Tennis Association. March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on January 16, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2012.
12. "China's loss". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia, Australia: John Wesley Dafoe: 13. March 6, 1947. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
13. "Death of Khoo Chooi Hye". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 12. July 27, 1936. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
14. "Gene Smith at home after net tour to Orient". Berkeley Daily Gazette. Berkeley, California, United States: Gazette Pub. Co.: 15 April 28, 1936. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
15. "China to foster her athletes". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press (264): 25. January 10, 1937. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
16. H. Mulder, ed. (November 23, 1934). "Kho Sin Kie" (PDF). Het Nieuws van den Dag (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Albrecht & Co. 39 (270): 19. Retrieved October 29, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
17. "Java tennis champion". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press (152): 12. November 18, 1934. Retrieved October 29, 2012.
18. Enrique G. Maier (March 29, 1935). "Tenis; Andanzas de no jugador de tenis por la India Holandesa" [Tennis; tour of the tennis players to Dutch Indies] (PDF). La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain: Carlos Godó Valls: 12. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
19. "Helen Moody stages a comeback". Emporia Gazette. Emporia, Kansas, United States: William Allen White. Associated Press: 6. July 8, 1935. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
20. The Argus, "Kho Sin Kie Dies", February 4, 1947
21. "Hughes And Sin Kie arrive in Singapore". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Mohammed Eunos (16, 150): 8. July 27, 1940. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
22. Reuter (July 13, 1936). "Kho Sin Kie Beaten in Dutch final". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 14. Retrieved October 4, 2012.
23. Albert Lejeune, ed. (January 4, 1937). . Le Petit Niçois (in French). Nice, France: Borriglione. 57 (4): 5. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
24. "El Torneo Internacional de Cannes" [Cannes international tournament] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain: 3. January 8, 1937. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
25. Albert Lejeune, ed. (January 25, 1937). [Tennis at the Cote D'Azur]. Le Petit Niçois (in French). Nice, France: Borriglione. 57 (25): 9. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
26. Albert Lejeune, ed. (February 3, 1937). "Tennis, A Cannes". Le Petit Niçois (in French). Nice, France: Borriglione. 57 (34): 8. Archived from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
27. Albert Lejeune, ed. (February 16, 1937). . Le Petit Niçois (in French). Nice, France: Borriglione. 57 (47): 8. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
28. Alexis Brézet, ed. (February 3, 1937). "Le tournoi de Carlton á Cannes" [The Cannes-Carlton tournament]. Le Figaro (in French). Paris, France: Dassault Group. ISSN 0182-5852. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
29. Reuter (May 21, 1937). "Kho defeats Prenn". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 5. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
30. "Kho Sin Kie wins". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Mohammed Eunos (15, 704): 7. July 12, 1937. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
31. "Magyarország 1937. évi teniszbajnokságai" [Tennis Championships of Hungary 1937] (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Huszadik század. September 1937. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
32. "Lawn tennis tournaments". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 14. September 28, 1937. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
33. W.G.N. De Keizer, ed. (March 21, 1938). "Kho Sin Kie Geslagen" [Kho Sin Kie beaten] (PDF). Het Nieuws van den Dag (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands: W. A. Van Goudoever. 43 (65): 11. Retrieved October 28, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
34. "Kho Sin Kie wins in France". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press (328): 28. April 3, 1938. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
35. "Tennis". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: John Wesley Dafoe: 16. May 2, 1938. ISSN 0828-1785. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
36. "Win for Kho Sin Kie". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Mohammed Eunos (15, 596): 16. October 11, 1938. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
37. "Kho Sin Kie wins at Cannes". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Mohammed Eunos (15, 209): 16. February 17, 1939. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
38. "International tennis; Hughes and Cramm win". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia: John Fairfax and Sons. 108 (31, 587): 15. March 28, 1939. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
39. W. Belonje, ed. (April 27, 1939). "Kho Sin Kie" (PDF). Het Nieuws van den Dag (in Dutch). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Albrecht & Co. 44 (87): 11. Retrieved October 29, 2012.^{[permanent dead link]}
40. "Kho Sin Kie Wins Surrey Title". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 17. May 29, 1939. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
41. "El Torneo Internacional de Birmingham" [Birmingham international tournament] (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain: 3. July 15, 1946. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
42. "Tennis Championships". Cairns Post. Cairns, Australia: Frederick Wimble. 64 (13, 773): 2. April 25, 1946. Retrieved October 25, 2012.
43. "When Austin forgot his shorts" (PDF). Advocate. Burnie, Tasmania, Australia: Harris publications: 8. April 19, 1938. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
44. "Kho Sin Kie's English bride". Townsville Daily Bulletin. Vol. LXII, no. 39. Queensland, Australia. 14 February 1940. p. 11. Retrieved March 22, 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
45. "Kho Sin-Khie marries in London". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Mohammed Eunos (15, 995): 1. January 27, 1940. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
46. "Kho Sin Kie's fiancee". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 10. February 10, 1940. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
47. "Hughes And Sin Kie In Malacca". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Mohammed Eunos (16, 159): 9–10. August 7, 1940. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
48. "New Champions in all events in Malayan tennis". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 15. August 6, 1940. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
49. "Exhibition tennis at Y.M.C.A". The Straits Times. Singapore, Straits Settlements: Straits Times Press: 15. August 13, 1941. Retrieved October 28, 2012.
50. Little (2014), p. 278
51. Little (2014), p. 279
52. Little (2014), p. 280
53. "Athena (Athens) 1937". www.tennisarchives.com. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
54. "Lazaros Stalios: Overview". ATP Tour. ATP. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
55. "Mediterranean Championships 1937". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
56. Little (2014), p. 283
57. "Nice 1937". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
58. "Cannes Carlton 1938". www.tennisarchives.com. American Lawn Tennis. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
59. "William Robertson: Overview". ATP Tour. ATP. Retrieved 18 April 2023.
60. "First Chinese to win Hard Court tennis title". The Evening News. 12 July 1938. p. 12 – via National Library of Australia.
61. "International Championships of Egypt-Alexandria 1938". www.tennisarchives.com. American lawn Tennis 1938. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
62. Little (2014), p. 288
63. Little (2014), p. 296
64. Little (2014), p. 297
65. "Midland Counties Championships 1946". www.tennisarchives.com. Retrieved 17 October 2017.

Sources

• Little, Alan (2014). The Golden Days of Tennis on the French Riviera, 1874-1939. London: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. ISBN 978-0906741542.

External links

• Kho Sin-Kie at the Association of Tennis Professionals  
• Kho Sin-Kie at the International Tennis Federation  
• Kho Sin-Kie at the Davis Cup