Nathaniel C. Emerson was a top-ranked American amateur tennis player in the early 20th Century. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 in October, 1874 to Henry & Edith Emerson, he moved to Yakima, Washington

Yakima, Washington

Yakima is an American city southeast of Mount Rainier National Park and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the eighth largest city by population in the state itself. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 91,196 and a metropolitan population of...

 by 1911, where he owned an apple orchard. Later he lived in Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

.

He was ranked in the ranked in U.S. tennis top ten (No. 7) in 1908 and in the top 20 in 1909 (No. 17) and 1907 (No. 19). In the national doubles rankings, he was ranked No. 6 in 1908 and No. 9 in 1907.

He was a singles semifinalist at the 1908 U.S. National Championship (now known as the U.S. Open

U.S. Open (tennis)

The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...

), and a doubles finalist at the U.S. National Championship in 1906 & 1908 (both times with L. Harry Waidner). They lost to future International Tennis Hall of Famers Fred Alexander

Fred Alexander

Frederick Beasley Alexander was a top-ranked tennis player in the early 20th century....

 and Harold Hackett

Harold Hackett

Harold Humphrey Hackett was an American tennis player.Born in Hingham, Massachusetts, but a long-time resident of New York, Hackett turned in his best results in doubles with Fred Alexander. Beginning in 1905, they were finalists at the U.S...

 in 1906, and Raymond D. Little

Raymond D. Little

Raymond Demorest Little was an American tennis player who committed suicide in 1932. He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 eleven times between 1900 and 1912, his highest ranking coming in 1907 when he was ranked 4th...

 and Beals Wright

Beals Wright

Beals Coleman Wright , was an American male tennis player.Beals was born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, the son of Cincinnati Red Stockings great George Wright and nephew of Cincinnati Red Stockings team founder Harry Wright...

 in 1908.

At the tournament now known as the Cincinnati Masters

Cincinnati 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...

 he:

• Was the first men’s singles winner (1899)
• Was a singles finalist in 1908
• Defeated Fred Alexander
  Fred Alexander
  Frederick Beasley Alexander was a top-ranked tennis player in the early 20th century....
  
   in 1900 semifinals
• Won five doubles titles – 1899 (with Burton Hollister), 1902 & 1903 (with Ernie Diehl), 1907 (with Raymond D. Little
  Raymond D. Little
  Raymond Demorest Little was an American tennis player who committed suicide in 1932. He was ranked in the U.S. Top 10 eleven times between 1900 and 1912, his highest ranking coming in 1907 when he was ranked 4th...
  
  ), and 1908 (with William P. Hunt).
• Reached the doubles final in 1900 (with Diehl) and 1905 (with Robert Mitchell)
• Still holds the record for most round of 16 appearances all-time at the Cincinnati Masters
  Cincinnati 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...
  
   with 12 (tied with his brother, H. Truxtun Emerson, and Michael Chang
  Michael Chang
  Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
  
  )

Also, he was:

• Singles champion at the 1899 & 1900 Ohio State singles tournament
• Singles champion at the Western Tennis Championship in 1907 & 1908
• Singles champion at the Oregon State Tennis Championship in 1910
• Singles finalist at the Western Tennis Championship in 1905, 1906 and 1907
• Doubles winner of the Western Tennis Championship in 1906 & 1908
• Singles winner of the 1908 Northwestern Championships
• Singles winner and doubles finalist at the 1915 Tennessee State championships
• Doubles finalist at the Oregon State Tennis Championship in 1910

He was inducted into the Cincinnati Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003.

Sources

• From Club Court to Center Court by Phillip S. Smith (2008 Edition; ISBN# 978-0-9712445-7-3)
• Wright & Ditson's Tennis Annual (1901 & 1909 Editions)