| Full name | Pauline May Betz |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Born | August 6, 1919 Dayton, Ohio |
| Died | May 31, 2011 (aged 91) Potomac, Maryland |
| Turned pro | 1947 |
| Retired | 1951 |
| Int. Tennis HOF | 1965 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | 1 (1946) |
| Grand Slam results | |
| French Open | F (1946) |
| Wimbledon | W (1946) |
| US Open | W (1942, 1943, 1944, 1946) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| French Open | F (1946) |
| Wimbledon | F (1946) |
| US Open | F (1942, 1943, 1944, 1945) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1946) |
| Wimbledon | F (1946) |
| US Open | F (1941, 1943) |
Pauline May Betz Addie (August 6, 1919 – May 31, 2011[1]) was an American professional tennis player. She won five Grand Slam singles titles and was the runner-up on three other occasions. Jack Kramer has called her the second best female tennis player he ever saw, behind Helen Wills Moody.[2]
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Betz attended Los Angeles High School and learned her tennis from Dick Skeen. She continued her tennis and education at Rollins College (graduating in 1943),[3][4][5][6] where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She went on to win four United States Singles Championships.[5]
Addie won the first of her four singles titles at the U.S. Championships in 1942, saving a match point in the semifinals against Margaret Osborne duPont while trailing 3–5 in the final set.[7] The following year, she won the Tri-State tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, defeating Catherine Wolf in the final 6–0, 6–2 without losing a point in the first set,[7] a "Golden Set". She won the Wimbledon singles title in 1946, the only time she entered the tournament, without losing a set.[7] Her amateur career ended when she explored the possibilities of turning professional.[7]
According to John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Addie was ranked World No. 1 in 1946 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945).[8] Addie was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1939 through 1946. She was the top ranked U.S. player from 1942 through 1944 and in 1946.[9]
Addie was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.[7]
The Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center at Cabin John Regional Park in Potomac, Maryland was renamed in her honor on May 1, 2008. Addie, Allie Ritzenberg, and Stanley Hoffberger founded the center in 1972.
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1942 | U.S. Championships | Louise Brough Clapp | 4–6, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1943 | U.S. Championships (2) | Louise Brough Clapp | 6–3, 5–7, 6–3 |
| 1944 | U.S. Championships (3) | Margaret Osborne duPont | 6–3, 8–6 |
| 1946 | Wimbledon | Louise Brough Clapp | 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1946 | U.S. Championships (4) | Doris Hart | 11–9, 6–3 |
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1941 | U.S. Championships | Sarah Palfrey Cooke | 7–5, 6–2 |
| 1945 | U.S. Championships | Sarah Palfrey Cooke | 3–6, 8–6, 6–4 |
| 1946 | French Championships | Margaret Osborne duPont | 1–6, 8–6, 7–5 |
| Tournament | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 | 19461 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | 0 / 0 |
| French Championships | A | NH | R | R | R | R | A | F | 0 / 1 |
| Wimbledon | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | W | 1 / 1 |
| U.S. Championships | 1R | QF | F | W | W | W | F | W | 4 / 8 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 2 / 3 | 5 / 10 |
NH = tournament not held. R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation. A = did not participate in the tournament. SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1In 1946, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.
Betz was married to sportswriter Bob Addie.[7] She was the mother of author Kim Addonizio.
Pauline Betz Addie died in her sleep on May 31, 2011. She was 91 years old.[10]
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