Irvin Dorfman
Encyclopedia
Irvin Dorfman of Brooklyn, New York, was an outstanding amateur
American
tennis player in the 1940s and 1950s.
Dorfman was ranked # 15 in singles in the United States in 1947, and # 3 in doubles in the U.S. in 1948.
, Dorfman reached the 1948 singles final, only to fall to Herbert "Buddy" Behrens in a match that lasted 64 games: 5-7, 9-11, 6-2, 8-6, 4-6. To this day, it is the longest final in games in the history of the Cincinnati tournament, which started in 1899 and is now the oldest tournament played in its original city in the United States.
Dorfman also won the doubles title in 1948 in Cincinnati, partnering with future International Tennis Hall of Fame
enshrinee Pancho Gonzalez.
Dorfman played his collegiate tennis at Yale University
. He graduated from that Ivy League
school in 1947.
Amateur
An amateur is generally considered a person attached to a particular pursuit, study, or science, without pay and often without formal training....
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
tennis player in the 1940s and 1950s.
Dorfman was ranked # 15 in singles in the United States in 1947, and # 3 in doubles in the U.S. in 1948.
Tennis career
At the Cincinnati MastersCincinnati Masters
The Cincinnati Open is an annual outdoor hardcourts tennis event held in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, Ohio, USA. The event started on September 18, 1899 and is the oldest tennis tournament in the United States played in its original city., Between...
, Dorfman reached the 1948 singles final, only to fall to Herbert "Buddy" Behrens in a match that lasted 64 games: 5-7, 9-11, 6-2, 8-6, 4-6. To this day, it is the longest final in games in the history of the Cincinnati tournament, which started in 1899 and is now the oldest tournament played in its original city in the United States.
Dorfman also won the doubles title in 1948 in Cincinnati, partnering with future International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
enshrinee Pancho Gonzalez.
Dorfman played his collegiate tennis at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He graduated from that Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
school in 1947.