Tennis Forum banner

Biographies of Female Tennis Players

2M views 6K replies 43 participants last post by  Psmith10s 
#1 · (Edited)
This thread will feature biographies of women who played tennis at a world class level. Note that the women will be added as we find information, so they will not appear in alphabetical order.

To find women listed in alphabetical order please go to the Blast Encyclopedia of Female Tennis Players at http://www.tennisforum.com/showthread.php?t=497938

The Blast Encyclopedia of Female Tennis Players lists women by both their maiden and married names. Under the main listing for a player a link will be provided back to this thread to a biography.
 
#127 · (Edited by Moderator)
BANKSON, ETHEL (Ethel Harper Bankson)
United States
Born 09 August 1871 in Philadelphia
Died 06 August 1927 in Philadelphia
Married Henry "Harry" Ward Balderston on 02 June 1902.
[Active from at least 1892-1895 at the US Nationals]

A Philly native, Bankson was a member of the Belmont Cricket Club. Her father John Palmer Bankson was a prominent banker. Ethel was RU in the four set mixed doubles final of 1893. Her best result in singles at the Nationals came in 1894. She lost in the semifinals to Helena Hellwig 6-2 6-1.

After her marriage she was a resident of Boston, a 1904 social register tells us her address was in the elite Beacon Hill area. Listed as a widow in the 1920 census, she had returned to her native Philadelphia.

[Thanks to Rollo for this information]
 
#128 · (Edited by Moderator)
BANNISTER, “NAOMI” (Norma Victoria Juliet Bannister)
Ireland
Born 4 February 1897
Died 11 June 1984
Married Harold Jackson Feilden (1892-1974), on 4 February 1920
Active at least until 1927, when her son Patrick was born. A Daughter named Maureen was born in 1930.

Barrett lists her as “Naomi” in his book of Wimbledon results. She was 0-2 in singles at Wimbledon, but made the semifinals of the doubles there in 1926. Her husband changed his name on 4 May 1927, from Harold Jackson Feilden to Harold Jackson Jackson-Feilden.

http://www.google.it/url?sa=t&rct=j&...,d.bGE&cad=rja

Winner: 1927 Phyllis Court Tournament, Sandown
RU: 1924 Hertfordshire Championships, Phyllis Court Tournament
 
#129 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARBIER, SIMONE
France
Born 19 January 1903 in Nancy, France
Died ????
[Active 1927-1951]

1930 doubles finalist at the French Championships with Simone Mathieu. The pair lost 6-3 6-1 to Elizabeth Ryan and Helen Wills-Moody. Most of her victories came in doubles competition.

Favorite and best scoring stroke:

1. the smash
2. hard drive to the backhand corner

Simone used a heavier than normal racquet "slightly heavy in the handle".

A member of the Racing Club de France. Her address in 1932 was 6 Rue Petrelle, Paris.

French ranking

1931: #5
1932: #7

Active as early as 1927 and as late as 1951, playing the French that year. Barbier was on the Riviera circuit in 1929-1030, 1933, and 1935.

Barbier (on the right) with partner Marguerite Bordes at the 1929 French Championships




Simone at the 1930 Hungarian Championships with Georges Glasser



Sources:

1933 Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annual, page 210.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simone_Barbier

[Thanks to Rollo for this information]
 
#131 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARG, PENNY
United States
Born 11 April 1964 In North Miami Beach, Florida
Married Hart Larry Mager (born 1947) on 10th December 1989 in Miami, Florida
[Active 1981-1990]

All of her titles and most wins came in doubles. She was a Wimbledon and US Open quarterfinalist in doubles with Beth Herr.

Doubles Titles

1989 Phoenix-with M. LOUIE-HARPER
1987 Phoenix- withB. HERR and Bastad- with T. SCHEUER-LARSEN




Sources:

1991 WTA Media guide.
www.ancestry.co.uk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penny_Barg
http://archivesdutennisfeminin.over-blog.com/2014/06/lindsay-morse-et-penny-barg.html

[Thanks to Rosamund for this information and to Binoxial for the photo]
 
#132 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARGER-WALLACH, MAUD (nee Maud Barger)
United States
Born 15 June 1870
Died 2 April 1954
Married Richard "Dick" Wallach, circa 1890, divorced circa 1896
[Active 1906-1934]


A society matron in Newort, Rhode Island, Maud did not even begin to play tennis until her early 30s.

She was the United States RU in 1906. In 1908 Barger-Wallach became the oldest US Nationals Champion at the age of 38 (42 year-old Mola Mallory won in 1926, taking away her old-age record.) Maud simply ran around her her weaker backhand to hit forehands.

When Hazel Wightman fought her way through the field she crushed Maud in the challenge round by rushing the net and repeatedly scoring vs Barger-Wallach's weak backhand. Hazel's shots carried too much pace spped and pace for Barger-Wallach to employ her usual tactic. After winning the first set at love Hazel politely hit to the forehand in the second set, giving Maud and the gallery some satisfaction in the rout.

Small of stature and playing into middle age, she sometimes brought a nurse to moniter her on court. Inlater years she was a great patron to male tennis players, including the likes of Frank Shields and Syney Wood. She entered minor events as late as 1934.

Known as Mrs Barger-Wallach even after her divorce.

Wiki entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maud_Barger-Wallach

The Champion in 1908





 
#133 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARKER, “ETHEL” (nee Beatrice Ethel Lydia Woods)
Australia (Western Australia)
Born in 1876 in Saint Kilda, Victoria
Died 29 December 1953 in Perth
Married Edmund Shelley Barker on 4 September 1895 in Perth

Western Australian Champion 1909, 1911

Popularly known as Ethel, she was the daughter of Lieutenant George Austin Woods (1825-1905), a surveyor in the Royal Navy who, among other things, had ruled Fiji as premier from 1872-74.

Edmund Shelley Barker, a native of Scotland, was also a lawn tennis player. For more on him, see here: http://www.tennisarchives.com/player.php?playerid=8368

[Thanks to Gee Tee and Newmark for this information]
 
#134 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARKER, “SUE” (Susan Dorothy Barker)
Great Britain
Born 19 April 1956 in Paignton, England
Married Lance Paul Tankard, 14 October 1988
Height: 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Nickname: The Devon Cream Girl.
[Active 1973-1984]

Coached by the famous Arthur Roberts, who advised her Barker to ignore those who told her to change her forehand. It was this stroke that was her strongest and most admired weapon throughout her career, with Roberts describing it as "especially potent". In 1976 and 1977 women pros voted her forehand the best in tennis. When her forehand was one fire Barker was dangerous, when off her performances were often error-fests.

After training in the United States Barker reached her first Grand Slam semi-final in 1975 at the Australian Open. 1976 saw the biggest victory of her career by winning the French Open at the age of 20, defeating Tomanová in the final. Barker's toughest game en route to the final in Paris was her quarter-final match against Regina Maršíková, when Barker came back from a set down and won a gruelling final set 8–6. The first British singles slam since Ann Jones in 1969, Barker would never reach another slam final despite her huge potential. A quarters result at Wimbledon cemented Sue a place in the world's top 10.

1977 started with a bang. Barker won two singles titles in San Francisco and Dallas indoors. A the Slims finale she won her round robin group to reach the final, where she pushed Chris Evert to 3 sets by a score of 2-6 6-1 6-1. Opting out of defending her French Open final to plat World Team Tennis, Sue was the British favorite to go the farthest at the Wimbledon Centenary as the #4 seed. Alas, the pressure and attacking serves of Betty Stove ended her Wimbledon dreams in a tense semifinal. Years later, Barker said that losing to Stöve was the biggest disappointment of her career and admitted that she was so upset at losing in the 1977 Wimbledon semi-final that she could not bear to watch the final, which was won by Wade.

Sue's form dropped in the second half of 1977. Some blamed it on a natural post-Wimbledon letdown; others to a romance with Syd Ball that resulted in a engagement (later broken) by early 1978. Upset by 14 year old Tracy Austin at the US Open, she failed to qualify for the Colgate finale.

The weak December edition of the Australian Open was a final chance to redeem herself, but here Barker lost again in the semifinals to Helen Cawley 6-4 7-5. Most world rankings had her at #5 for the year.

Injury plagued her in 1978. Roaring back in 1979, she won 3 events and was named the WTA Comeback Player of the Year.

In 1980, Barker was temporarily blinded in her right eye after a large dog in Spain jumped up and bit her. She lost the sight in her eye for five hours and feared that the dog attack would force her to stop playing tennis, which she said "broke her heart". This stopped any momentum she had from the previous year.

The up and down pattern continued in 1981-as her ranking started to recover. 1982 was another letdown however. The only bright side was a romance with singer Cliff Richard. Until her retirement in 1984 the blonde from Devon continued to belt her forehand and set fans who loved their females blonde and pert aflutter.

In all Barker won at least 26 singles titles.

Today she is best known as a television personality.

Singles

Career record 365–208
Career titles 11
Highest ranking # 3 (20 March 1977)

Quality Grand Slam Singles results

Australian Open SF (1975, 1977 – Dec, 1978)
French Open W (1976)
Wimbledon SF (1977) QF (1976)

Year-End Computer Rankings

1975: #19
1976: #10
1977: #5
1978: #24
1979: #10
1980: #16
1981: #14
1982: #62
1983: #57
1984: #155

Winning the French in 1976-finalist Renata Tomanova is on the right.












Links and Sources:

https://www.tennisforum.com/59-blast-past/142812-obatafan-sue-barker-dedication-thread.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sue_Barker

[A short clip of her winning the French Open]
 
#135 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARMAN, SHARI
United States
Born 22 April 1949 in Los Angeles, California
Height: 5’ 8”
[Active from at least 1970 to 1974]

A fringe Virginia Slims player-Barman played an important political role due to her connections and activism.

An assistant tennis pro at the Beverley Hills Hotel from 1967 to 1971.

Played singles at the 1970 US Open Championships. In 3 Wimbledon attempts (1971. 1974 and 1975) she was unable to qualify in singles.

Her father Fred owned a WTT franchise and was at one time the business manager for Martina Navratilova. It was Fred Barman who helped arrange Martina's defection at the 1975 US Open. Shari, a friend of Navratilova, naturally assisted her father in this venture by helping to hide Navratilova and shield her from the press until the storm died down.

Perhaps more importantly, Fred had helped found World Team Tennis in 1974, prompted in large part by a letter Shari sent him expressing dismay at how the women's circuit was going in the summer of 1972. It took World Team Tennis two years of navigating tennis politics to see the light of day. Shari's letter this forms an important part of tennis history. (Art of World Team Tennis)

Shari lived with Rosie Casals for a time; she was residing with Rosie when the two women got into an altercation with a man in an airport parking lot in 1977 over a car fender-bender. When an airport security officer tried to intervene Shari alledgedly jumped on his back. Both Barman and Casals were charged with assault, though the outcome is unclear. In 2009 there was a minor altercation between Shari and a police officer at the house Barman shared with her partner, former pro Jane Stratton. The incident occurred during a Democratic political fundraiser being held at the house. Both sides had differing stories. Barman sued, claiming permanent damage to her should from being thrown to the ground by a police officer. The cop alleged she had refused to cooperate when he came to investigate a noise complaint. A lawsuit for over 1 million dollars was later settled in Barman's favor, though she had to split the money with other plaintiffs.

Barman later held positions for women's tour promoters such as Virginia Slims and operating director for several tournaments, including Amelia Island. She was politically active from an early date, serving on the WTA Board of Directors from 1973 to 1975.


Sources:

Hoffman, Greg. The Art of World Team Tennis, 1977. [Pages 10 to 12 cover Barman's role in creating the league.]

http://www.bieltd.com/pdf/bio1_en.pdf

Archive - Draws Archive : Shari Barman Doubles History Match History - 2015 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM

http://mauralarkins.com/arrestShariBarman.html
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...fundraisers-say-rights-were-violated-file-fe/
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2009/aug/27/party-host-may-sue-over-deputys-actions/
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com...fundraisers-settle-civil-rights-case-against/

[Thanks to Rollo and Rosamund for this information]
 
#136 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARNETT, MARTA (Marta Marie Barnett)
United States
Born 15 July 1918 in Chicago, Illinois
Died 03 April 2005 in Brandenton, Florida
Married George Andrade, circa late 1939-divorced in 1946.
[Active in the 1930s to at least 1950]

Played the 1941 US Nationals as Mrs Andrade. Played singles Wimbledon 1950 as Marta Barnett

Source Search Historical Records - Ancestry.com

Miami Beach photo from 1939



More traditional tennis attire



[Thanks to Rosamund for this information]
 
#137 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARNIVILLE, GERALDINE (nee Geraldine Houlihan)
Ireland
Born 07 November 1942
Married Harry Barniville (1927-2013)

Irish #1 for most of the 1960s and 1970s. Her most notable victory was over Virginia Wade.

1966 Irish doubles champ with Margaret Court

Associated with Carrickmines Tennis Club. Her husband Harry was a noted tennis as well. Both were medical doctors. An all round sportswoman, she took up squash at the age of 24 and as a senior became an Irish international in bicycling competitions.

Sources:

https://www.carrickmines.com/tennis/outstanding-contribution-to-irish-tennis/
 
#138 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARR, HELEN (Helen Milne Barr)
United Kingdom
Born 15 April 1909 in Falkirk, Scotland
Died 18 December 1991 in Falkirk, Scotland
Married (1) Reginald Marsh Turnbull on 14 October 1931; divorced
Married (2) Holding
[Active 1929 to at least 1935]

Active at Wimbledon 1932-1935. She entered the doubles only in 1932 with Naomi Trentham, reaching the QF. This was her best result in a major. She only played singles in 1934, reaching the second round.

Source:

Archive - Draws Archive : Helen Turnbull (Barr) - 2015 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM

[Thanks to Newmark for this information]
 
#140 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARRY, ADELAIDE (nee Adelaide Maude Wrixon-Becher)
Ireland
Born 28 May 1870 Castle Hyde, Litter, Cork, Ireland
Died 03 July 1959
Married William Norton Barry (1859-1939) on 1 Jun 1899 Castlemagner, Cork, Ireland.

Won the singles title at the Irish Championships in 1911 and 1913. Competed at Wimbledon in 1901. Her marriage was childless. William Norton Barry was her first cousin. She lived at Castle Cor in Ireland til her death.

“Adelaide (née Wrixon-Becher), widow of W.N. Barry, who lived at Castle Cor until her death at a very great age 1959, was for many years the oldest member of Duhallow Hunt; a legendary figure and a fearless rider to hounds when she was well up in her 80s. Castle Cor was inherited by her nephew, Mr. Hope Murray, who sold it ca 1960; it was subsequently demolished."

(From “A Guide to Irish Country Houses", Mark Bence-Jones)
 
#141 · (Edited by Moderator)
BARTKOWICZ, “PEACHES” (Jane Bartkowicz)
United States
Born 16 April 1949 in Hamtramck, Michigan
Married (1) Don Krot, divorced
Married (2) B Schafer
Nickname: "The Backboard"
[Active in the 1960s to 1971, then a brief comeback attempt in the mid 70s]

Started tennis at age 7.

Solid as a brick wall from the baseline-one could depend on the ball always coming back. Under the tutelage of famed coach Jean Hoxie, she hit against wlls and backboards for hours on end. She once supposedly hit the ball 950 times in a row against a wall. She was he first US woman to suceed with a two-handed backhand, following Aussie Jan Lehane.

Peaches gave away nothing on court emotionally-one writer compared her to a Charles Addams (of the Addams family) character.

US Open QF in 1968 and 1969. Ranked #8 in the world in 1969. one highlight that year was in clinching the Federation Cup for the United States. In the deciding doubles Peaches and Nancy Richey upset Australia's Margaret Court and and Judy Tegart 6-4 6-4.

She was 7-0 in Fed Cup overall in her career. Peaches was never defeated in Fed or Wightman Cup play.

Peaches helped clinch the 1970 Wightman Cup with Billie Jean King in dramatic circumstances by winning the last doubles match. Peaches played back and King "up".

When the women started their own tour in late 1970 Bartkowicz was part of the "Original 9."

Bartkowicz retired as a player in 1971. She later expressed some resentment of Hoxie, who died in 1970, for pushing her too hard. Severe headaches led to her abandoning the game in 1971.

Involved in a hit and run drunk driving incident, she served some time in prison. After an aborted comeback in the mid to late 1970s she remarried and worked for the US government.

She has been enshrined in the United States Tennis Association/Midwest Hall of Fame. She was also inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz career thread:
Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz career thread - TennisForum.com

Wiki Entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peaches_Bartkowicz

By, Leonard Katz "CAN PEACHES COME BACK?" New York Times (1923-Current file): 5. May 07 1978. ProQuest. Web. 12 Oct. 2016

The Backboard: Why it Won't Come Back | General News - News | USTA Southwest

http://polishsportshof.com/inductees/tennis/jane-peaches-bartkowicz/
This site includes a five minute video tribute, featuring clips form the 1970 Wightman Cup.


 
#145 · (Edited by Moderator)
BASSI, LUCIA
Italy
Born 12 December 1936
Active in 1950s and early 1970s.

Tournament Wins and Finals

Winner: 1957- Menton; 1958- Antibes, Geneva; 1960- Bilbao; 1961- Lausanne; 1967- St. Moritz Kulm, St. Moritz Palace, Suvretta; 1973- Geneva, Montana;

Finalist: 1958- Berlin, Menton; 1959- Menton, Grenoble; 1961- Cannes Carlton, Valencia, Lesa; 1962- Montana; 1974- Montana;
 
#147 · (Edited by Moderator)
BATT, “BETTY” (Elizabeth Batt)
United Kingdom
Born 07 February 1916 Kensington London
Died 26 March 2003 Enfield London
Married (1) Noel Passingham, circa March 1940-Divorced in 1949 on grounds of her adultery.
Married (2) Frank Martin-Davies 21st May 1949 in Nigeria.
[Active 1934-1950]

Prominent British junior in 1934. She entered the doubles only at Wimbledon in 1935, then all 3 events from 1937-1939 and again in 1946 and 1948.

Best in Doubles, where she represented GB in Wightman Cup in 1946, also making the QF of Wimbledon that year in doubles.

Wimbledon Record (entered 1935, 1937-1939, 1946, 1948, and 1950 as F. Martin-Davies.

Singles: 3-5
Doubles: 10-7 (Quarterfinals in 1946)
Mixed: 9-5



Dan Maskell coaches nine of Britain's leading women tennis players at Wimbledon in December 1946. Left to right: Kay Menzies, Jean Quertier, Joy Gannon, Molly Lincoln Blair, PJ [Mary] Halford and Betty Passingham




Sources

1949-02-15-Betty|findmypast.co.uk
search.ancestry.co.uk
www.gov.uk/search-will-probate
Wimbledon archive draws at:
Archive - Draws Archive : Betty Passingham (Batt) - 2013 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM
Archive - Draws Archive : F. Martin-Davies - 2013 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM

The New, York T. "KRAMER DEFEATED BY CZECH NET STAR." New York Times (1923-Current file): 16. Jun 29 1946. ProQuest. [Photo]
 
#150 · (Edited by Moderator)
BAYARD, MARTHA (Martha Pintard Bayard)
United States
Born 15 September 1902 in Short Hills, New Jersey
Died 24 December, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Married to Henry Rice Guild (1896-1980) in 1927. (listed as Henry P in many sources and even Henry W on the census)

Listed as being from Short Hills, New Jersey as a junior. Her only slam event abroad was in 1923, where she made the 2R at Wimbledon.
Her husband Henry was also a tennis player-the two being doubles partners before their marriage. They were living in Brookline during the 1930 and 1940 census. They had 3 children: Henry (born circa 1928), Sheila, (circa 1931) and Bayard (circa 1933).

Won Pennsylvania and Eastern States in 1926.

Bayard (on left) and Eleanor Goss at Forest Hills

 
#151 · (Edited by Moderator)
BAYLON, NORMA
Argentina
Born 09 November 1942 in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Married Bartolomé Puiggros in 1967
[Active 1962-1967]

Quarterfinalist at the French (1965), Wimbledon (1964) and U.S. (1965,1966).
Doubles finalist at the 1964 French Championships with Helga Schultze.

Ranked world No. 7 in 1966.

Norma started tennis at the age of five. In 1962 the was honored with the Olympia Award-the first female ever.

Following in the footsteps of Maria Teran de Weiss, the Argentine star of the 1950s, Baylon was a constant presence in the world top 20 from 1963, her #7 ranking in 1966 certainly being no fluke.

Unlike most South American women nurtured on clay courts Baylon exhibited an affinity for grass.

Married to Peruvian Bartolomé Puiggros in 1967, she resided in Peru for 15 years while raising their three sons.




Sources:

Wikipedia article.

Archive - Draws Archive : Norma Baylon - 2015 Wimbledon Championships Website - Official Site by IBM

[Video of Norma vs Rosie Casals in 1966. No sound]

[Spanish language interview from 1967]

[Thanks to Wolbo for this information]
 
Top