The beginning of the most powerful dynasty in tennis history was in the strokes of Frank Allan Sedgman, the Australian savior of 1950.

Australia was sagging in the Davis Cup after World War II, losing four successive finales to the U.S. Then, in 1950, 22-year-old Sedgman-loser of both his singles the previous year--startled crowds at Forest Hills by beating Tom Brown and Ted Schroeder in singles, joining John Bromwich for the doubles win to spearhead a 4-1 victory for the Aussies.

Not since 1911--Norman Brookes--had an Aussie won three matches in a Cup triumph. In the company of Ken McGregor that year, Mervyn Rose and McGregor the next, and McGregor again in 1952, Sedgman led the way to three straight Cups. In 1951 Sedgman became the first of nine Aussie men to win U.S. championships, 15 in all, at Forest Hills, and he repeated the following year.

Those Cup successes were the start of captain Harry Hopman's second stewardship under which Australia won the Davis trophy 15 times between 1950 and 1967. And also the start of Sedgman's nearly three years as the premier amateur.

Sedgman, an extremely athletic 5-foot-ll, 170-pound right-hander, was born October 29, 1927, in Mount Albert, Victoria, Australia, and was such an acquisitive winner of major titles during the briefest of stretches, 1949-53, that he stands third among all-time male champions with 22 major victories in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, three behind John Newcombe and six behind Roy Emerson.

In 1951 Sedgman and McGregor scored the only Grand Slam in men's doubles by winning all the majors (Australian, Wimbledon, French and U.S.) within a calendar year. They came oh-so close to Slamming again the following year, going all the way to the U.S. final, where it took another Aussie, Merv Rose, allied with Yank Vic Seixas, to barely beat them, 3-6, 10-8, 10-8, 6-8, 8-6. As it was, Frank and Ken won seven straight major doubles, a male record, and Sedg had eight in a row, having taken the U.S. with John Bromwich in 1950. In 1952, his last season as an amateur, Sedgman was the last man to make a rare Wimbledon triple, adding the doubles (with McGregor) and mixed (with Doris Hart) to his singles conquest.

Speed, brilliant volleying and a heavy forehand were his chief assets, plus a fighting--yet good-natured--spirit.

Jack Kramer, proprietor of the professional tour and its foremost player, enticed Sedgman to become his challenger in 1953, and they played the customary head-to-head tour between the amateur-king-turned-pro-rookie and the incumbent, Kramer, who stayed on top, 54-41. However, Sedgman's share of the gate was $102,000, and he was the first male player to earn more than 100 grand in a season.

Sedgman continued to barnstorm with the pros into the 1960s. He was finalist to Pancho Gonzalez for the U.S. Pro singles championship in 1954 and won the U.S. Pro doubles with Andres Gimeno in 1961. Keeping himself unusually fit, he was able to launch a second professional career in 1974 when promoter Al Bunis formed the Grand Masters tour for ex-champs over 45. Sedgman won the Grand Masters championship in a season's-end playoff among the top eight players in 1975, 1977 and 1978, and in this second phase of professionalism won more than $250,000 over six seasons.

His fleeting residency in the World Top Ten covered 1949 through 1952, No. 1 the last two years. Sedgman was named to the Hall of Fame in 1979.