Mary Browne
 | |
| Full name | Mary Kendall Browne |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 United States |
| Born |
June 3, 1891 Ventura County, California, U.S. |
| Died |
August 19, 1971 (aged 80) Laguna Hills, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (1.57 m) |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 1957 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (U.S. Singles Ranking) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | F (1926) |
| US Open | W (1912, 1913, 1914) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1926) |
| US Open | W (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1925) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | F (1926) |
| US Open | W (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921) |
Mary Kendall Browne (June 3, 1891 – August 19, 1971) was the first American female professional tennis player, a World No. 1 amateur tennis player, and an amateur golfer. She was born in Ventura County, California, United States.
Biography
She was born on June 3, 1891.
According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Browne was ranked in the world top ten in 1921 (when the rankings began), 1924, and 1926, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in those rankings in 1921.[1] Browne was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1913 (when the rankings began), 1914, 1921, 1924, and 1925. She was the top ranked U.S. player in 1914.[2]
She took part in the 1925 and 1926 editions of the Wightman Cup, an annual women's team tennis competition between the United States and Great Britain.
Browne was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1957.
Browne had been playing golf for only a few years when at the 1924 U.S. Women's Amateur, she was runner-up to champion Dorothy Campbell Hurd.
Grand Slam record
- French Championships
- Singles runner-up: 1926
- Wimbledon
- Women's Doubles champion': 1926
- Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1926
- U.S. Championships
- Singles champion: 1912, 1913, 1914
- Singles runner-up: 1921
- Women's Doubles champion: 1912, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1925
- Women's Doubles runner-up: 1926
- Mixed Doubles champion: 1912, 1913, 1914, 1921
Grand Slam finals
Singles (3 titles, 2 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1912 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Eleonora Sears | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1913 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Dorothy Green | 6–2, 7–5 |
| Winner | 1914 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Marie Wagner | 6–2, 1–6, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1921 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Molla Mallory | 6–4, 4–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 1926 | French Championships | Clay |  Suzanne Lenglen | 1–6, 0–6 |
Doubles (6 titles, 1 runner-up)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1912 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | .svg.png){kind=small} Dorothy Green | Maud Barger-Wallach Mrs. Frederick Schmitz | 6–2, 5–7, 6–0 |
| Winner | 1913 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | .svg.png){kind=small} Louise Riddell Williams | Dorothy Green Edna Wildey | 12–10, 2–6, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1914 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Louise Riddell Williams | Louise Raymond Edna Wildey | 10–8, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1921 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Louise Riddell Williams | Helen Gilleaudeau Mrs. L.G. Morris | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Winner | 1925 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Helen Wills | May Sutton Bundy Elizabeth Ryan | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1926 | Wimbledon | Grass | Elizabeth Ryan |  Evelyn Colyer Kitty McKane Godfree | 6–1, 6–1 |
| Runner-up | 1926 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Charlotte Chapin | Eleanor Goss Elizabeth Ryan | 6–3, 4–6, 10–12 |
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 | 1920 | 1921 | 1922 | 1923 | 1924 | 1925 | 1926 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| French Championships1 | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | NH | A | F | 0 / 1 |
| Wimbledon | A | A | A | NH | NH | NH | NH | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1R | 0 / 1 |
| U.S. Championships | W | W | W | A | A | A | A | A | A | F | A | A | SF | 3R | SF | 3 / 7 |
| SR | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 1 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 3 / 9 |
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1Through 1923, the French Championships were open only to French nationals. The World Hard Court Championships (WHCC), actually played on clay in Paris or Brussels, began in 1912 and were open to all nationalities. The results from that tournament are shown here from 1912 through 1914 and from 1920 through 1923. The Olympics replaced the WHCC in 1924, as the Olympics were held in Paris. Beginning in 1925, the French Championships were open to all nationalities, with the results shown here beginning with that year.
See also
References
- ↑ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 701. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
- ↑ United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 260.
External links
- USGA website for the 1924 Championship
- "Between the Lines: Suzanne Lenglen and the First Pro Tour"
- International Tennis Hall of Fame