Lester Stoefen

American tennis player

Lester Rollo Stoefen (March 30, 1911 – February 8, 1970) was an American tennis player of the 1930s.

Stoefen, partnering with compatriot George Lott, won three Grand Slam doubles titles: 1934 Wimbledon Championships, 1933 and 1934 U. S. National Championships. In 1933 he was ranked world No. 9 by Pierre Gillou (president of the Fédération Française de Tennis) and World No. 10 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph. Stoefen reached the semifinals of the U. S. Championships singles in 1933, losing to Fred Perry in straight sets. In 1934 he played for the US Davis Cup team and won all his six matches, including the only match the US won in their defeat in the final against Great Britain. Also in 1934 Stoefen won the U. S. Indoor Tennis Championships singles event, defeating Gregory Mangin in the final in three straight sets. Stoefen signed a professional contract in November 1934 with promoter Bill O'Brien. In January 1935, at Madison Square Garden, he started a series of head to head matches against Ellsworth Vines and by March trailed him 1–25.

He was the cousin of basketball player Art Stoefen, although they were commonly mistaken for brothers, and both attended Los Angeles High School. On February 6, 1936, he married actress Ruth Moody in Hollywood. He died in La Jolla, California on February 8, 1970, of liver cirrhosis.

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1933 U. S. National Championships Grass George Lott Frank Shields Frank Parker 11–13, 9–7, 9–7, 6–3Win 1934 Wimbledon Grass George Lott Jean Borotra Jacques Brugnon 6–2, 6–3, 6–4Win 1934 U. S. National Championships Grass George Lott Wilmer Allison John Van Ryn 6–4, 9–7, 3–6, 6–4

ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1934 U. S. National Championships Grass Elizabeth Ryan Helen Jacobs George Lott 6–4, 11–13, 2–6