Thomas Lyte are the designers and makers of the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship Singles Trophy. The new trophies for the Championship were unveiled in 2016, with the exciting project beginning with a referral from the Vice President of Tournament Relations for the ATP Tour, Linda Clark.
The U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship is an annual ATP Tour tennis tournament that started in 1910. Held every year at The River Oaks Country Club, it is the last remaining ATP Tour-level tournament in the United States to be played on clay courts. Boasting a rich history, and featuring victors such as Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi, the trophy suffered considerable wear and tear before Thomas Lyte were commissioned to create its replacement.
This led to a design brief from the client, and seven submissions of initial ideas from the staff at Thomas Lyte. After a meeting in London in November 2015, the designs were narrowed down to two before production began on the final design.
The Singles Trophy is a Warwick-styled Vase with ring handles and intricately engraved decoration. The two-tier black mahogany plinth has sterling silver plinth bands, and is also engraved with the names of previous winners.
