When did Margaret Court record her final single's victory on the women's tour, and who did she beat in the final? Hint but not much of one. She beat Kerry Melville Reid 7-6, 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Betty Stove 6-4, 7-5 in the semifinals. Court also won the doubles at this tournament, teaming with Stove to beat South Africans Linky Boshoff and Ilana Kloss 6-2, 6-4. I'll answer it tomorrow, or later today. (Also posted in General Forum)
Court Trivia
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Don't know how I missed this one Jem- and without checking my history books- I'm clueless, but I'd have to guess it was 1977, and her final round opponent was Sue Barker maybe?Jem said:
1976-Melbourne or Sydney I think. The amazing thing about Mags was she won a singles event almost every calendar year she played even though she retired more than once!
183 event wins from 1960 to 1976. Quite a record. Navratilova must have the record for consecutive years with a title (1973/or 4 until 1994!)
but Court has the most titles.
183 event wins from 1960 to 1976. Quite a record. Navratilova must have the record for consecutive years with a title (1973/or 4 until 1994!)
but Court has the most titles.
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Rollo- I think I may have asked this before, but do you have a complete list of Margaret's tournament titles from 1960 to 1977? I am unable to find this information anywhere.Rollo said:
Hi Alfa 
A list of all of Court's titles doesn't exist. It would be nice to have a list of her record and others like Billie Jean King.
It's a project that would take a group effort. I'll start a list. If anyone wants to add to it maybe we can piece her record together.
A list of all of Court's titles doesn't exist. It would be nice to have a list of her record and others like Billie Jean King.
It's a project that would take a group effort. I'll start a list. If anyone wants to add to it maybe we can piece her record together.
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THANK YOU ROLLO!!! I have Court on Court, and the appendix has a listing of major titles (Aus/French/Wimb/U.S./Ital.Germ.), but nothing else. I read all of this eagerly, because I've never seen most of it! The ITHF in Newport doesn't have this information- only her Open Era list that cuts short at 79 titles. I was sure Margaret must have lead the all-time titles list- just couldn't prove it (UNTIL NOW). I'd wager Court has more clay-court titles than Navratilova too... eagerly looking forward to the next list...Rollo said:Her two autobiographies might contain some info. Her first year may have been as early as 1958!
What follows comes from World Tennis and covers 1960 to late 1964
Court's titles by year.
*Until 1967 she played as Margaret Smith
*Final opponent, date and score given when known.
1960
Aussie: d. Lehane
Queensland: (Nov 5) d. Turner 10-8 6-1
1961 13 titles known
This was the year Mags was on an official tour with other Aussie girls.
Adelaide: (Jan14) d. Lehane 6-3 6-0
Aussie (Jan 27) d. Lehane 6-1 6-4
Paris: (April 4) d. de la Courtie 6-1 6-3
Nice: (April 9) d. de la Courtie 9-7 6-4
Provence (April 16) d. Starkie 6-2 6-4
Monte Carlo (April 30) d. Starkie 6-4 6-1
Beckenham: (June 17) d. Truman 6-3 4-6 8-6
Queen's Club (June 26) d. Richey 6-0 4-6 6-2
Aussie Hard: (Oct 23) d. Turner 6-2 0-6 7-5
Adelaide (Nov 25) d. Hard 6-4 5-7 6-4
Perth, West Aussie (Dec 4) d. Hard 6-3 6-0
Victorian: (Dec 9) d. Hard 6-3 6-2
New South Wales (Dec 17) d. Hard 6-2 6-1
1962 Won 13 known events
The year of the great fight between M and the Aussie LTA. She toured privately and was shunned by the official Aussie women's team. She is undefeated from sept 61 until the QF of Manchester in June 62, at least 9 straight events won.
Aussie (Jan 15) d. Lehane 6-0 6-2
Italy (May 15) d. Bueno 8-6 5-7 6-4
Lugano (May 21) d. Turner 6-2 6-1
French (June 4) d. Turner 6-3 3-6 7-5 (survives mp)
Bristol: (June 16) d. Bueno 6-1 3-6 6-2
Penn Grass, Merion (July 30) d. Susman 6-4 10-8
Orange (August 6) d. Susman 6-3 6-4
Essex (August 19) d. Bueno 6-1 6-4
US Nationals (Sept 10) d. Hard 9-7 6-4 (Hard bursts into tears during F)
Queensland (Oct 28) d. Lehane 6-3 6-4
Adelaide (Nov 17) d. Truman 6-1 6-2
NSW: (Dec 1) d. Turner 8-6 6-2
Victorian (Dec 15) d. Turner 6-4 8-6
1963 Won 14 known events
Aussie (Jan 19) d. Lehane 6-2 6-2
Italy (May 14) d. Turner 6-3 6-4
Berlin (June 3) d. Ebbern 6-2 7-5
Barcelona (June 9) d. Turner 6-0 6-0
Beckenham (June 16) d. Lehane 6-0 6-1
Wimbledon (July ?) d. Moffitt 6-4 6-4
Dusseldorf (July 14) d. Turner 6-3 6-2
Orange (August 4) d. Hard 6-1 6-1
Essex (August 14) d. Bueno 6-4 11-9
Queensland Hard (Oct 19) d. Ebbern 7-5 6-2
Queensland (Nov 7) d. Turner 6-3 6-2
NSW (Nov 7) d. Tegart 6-1 6-3
Adelaide (Nov 18) d. Lehane 6-3 6-1
Victorian (?) d. Turner 6-4 6-4
1964
*Court only lost 2 matches all year-once to Bueno (Wimbledon final) and once to Susman (4R US Nationals). This is probably the best won-lose percentage after Navratilova's amazing 1983, when Martina dropped only one match.
Aussie (Jan 13) d. Turner 6-3 6-2
Auckland (Feb 9) d. Lehane 6-4 3-6 6-0
Reggio Calabria (May 3) d. Ebbern 6-0 6-4
Italy (May ?) d. Turner 6-1 6-1
Berlin (May 18) d. Schultze 6-2 6-1
French (May 31) d. Bueno 5-7 6-1 6-2
Beckenham (June 13) Shared title due to rain. Led Bueno 5-3.
Queen's Club (June 20) d. Jones 6-3 6-2
Hilversum (July) d. Bueno 6-0 1-6 6-3
Gstaad (July 17) d. Turner 6-4 6-2
Hannover (August 2) d. Pachta 6-0 6-1
German (August 11) d. Bueno 6-1 6-4.
More coming-let us know what other titles she has!
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Oh, and Rollo- I did read something in either Court on Court or A Winning Faith that Margaret's first big splash on the Australian tennis scene was in 1959 when she upset Maria Bueno in the QF of a tournament in Australia, but I'll have to look for that stat again. I don't think she went on to win that one, and it may even have been the Australian Nationals.
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The one match I'd pay dearly for, but I doubt taped footage exists, is the 1973 Chicago final between Court and King. I've heard it was possibly the best match these two ever played, and I've never seen footage of them playing when both were on and playing well.
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I have the 1964 Wimbledon Final (Bueno def. Smith) with Italian commentary: "Oh Mama-Mia! Dubio Fallo!" it's hysterical when I play it for tennis friends. There are so few matches out there showing Margaret, or Maria for that matter, playing well.Rollo said:
I guess the homework assignment is to find out what the call letters were for the local Chicago TV stations in 1973. You'd think Gladys Heldman (or her issue) or somebody would have had a library started somewhere with all that early Virginia Slims data and memoribilia.
150 confirmed now
Alfa-my guess is the best way to check on that Chicago match is to get the Chicago Tribune for the week it was played. If I can get the dates for you, you might be able to get microfilm ordered from your library. The Trib will indicate if it was televised and on what channel.
At worst you would get local reporting on the event.
[email protected] the 64 match. We must have the same tape. Maria's reactions were so cool, and I loved the behind her back get on the lob! I even thought Mags was kind of sexy with the wind blowing through her blonde highlights. I want a match of them in color so bad.
Alfa-my guess is the best way to check on that Chicago match is to get the Chicago Tribune for the week it was played. If I can get the dates for you, you might be able to get microfilm ordered from your library. The Trib will indicate if it was televised and on what channel.
At worst you would get local reporting on the event.
[email protected] the 64 match. We must have the same tape. Maria's reactions were so cool, and I loved the behind her back get on the lob! I even thought Mags was kind of sexy with the wind blowing through her blonde highlights. I want a match of them in color so bad.
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Much as I loved watching them duel- I always got the feeling that if Margaret had played up to her potential, she would have blown Maria off the court like a good Graf-Sabatini match. I also wish we could have seen more of Althea Gibson in this era- I'm sure she would have been able to beat both Margaret and Maria and in fact she did beat Darlene Hard- arguably the best serve-and-volley player of the early 60s- it would have been fantastic to see a Margaret Smith-Althea Gibson Wimbledon final!Rollo said:150 confirmed now
Alfa-my guess is the best way to check on that Chicago match is to get the Chicago Tribune for the week it was played. If I can get the dates for you, you might be able to get microfilm ordered from your library. The Trib will indicate if it was televised and on what channel.
At worst you would get local reporting on the event.
[email protected] the 64 match. We must have the same tape. Maria's reactions were so cool, and I loved the behind her back get on the lob! I even thought Mags was kind of sexy with the wind blowing through her blonde highlights. I want a match of them in color so bad.
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At her peak level of performance, I might add. I think Althea could easily have played at the top level internationally, and won majors for another 5 years, at least.Rollo said:
She was fit enough still in the mid-1970s to play an exhibition final against Chris Evert in Florida when the other finalist (I think it was Kerry Melville) had to default minutes before the final with an injury. Evert beat her, but Althea was still fit enough at 50 to make a showing!
Al played a few events when tennis went open, but she couldn't get anywhere. I know one year she wanted to play the US Open, but they
were going to make her qualify so she opted out.
Her and Arthur Ashe played mixed at least once at the Open in 73.
For some reason Althea skipped most of 1959, but then played a grass court event in Canada the week after the US Nationals. She won it. Bet they paid her good money.
The only recorded pro women's event before the Open era was a 6 woman tournament in Cleveland in 1960. An aged Gibson beat an even older Pauline Betz 7-5 in thr 3rd.
BTW Alfa-I found out CBS televised the Slims tour in 1975, including a couple of Court finals, one with Evert.
were going to make her qualify
so she opted out. Her and Arthur Ashe played mixed at least once at the Open in 73.
For some reason Althea skipped most of 1959, but then played a grass court event in Canada the week after the US Nationals. She won it. Bet they paid her good money.
The only recorded pro women's event before the Open era was a 6 woman tournament in Cleveland in 1960. An aged Gibson beat an even older Pauline Betz 7-5 in thr 3rd.
BTW Alfa-I found out CBS televised the Slims tour in 1975, including a couple of Court finals, one with Evert.
I have most of the ITF "World Of Tennis" yearbooks and I notice the tournaments that you just followed with question marks - I picked just one at random - the Irish Championships in 1973, and checked it in the book, and it confirms that Court DID win the title, on 14th July, beating Virginia Wade in the final 6-2 6-4. (They won the Doubles together, too.) I'm away for four days now, but later on in the week when I'm back I'll look up all the other ???? entries for final details.
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Declan said:
And you are too Evonne! 
How is the Virginia Slims gaming going? I visited briefly and noticed some of your great pics.
I was surprised to read that Goolagong has about 100 tournament titles to her name. Quite a lot considering she was injured and did so much mum duty
How is the Virginia Slims gaming going? I visited briefly and noticed some of your great pics.
I was surprised to read that Goolagong has about 100 tournament titles to her name. Quite a lot considering she was injured and did so much mum duty
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Do you happen to have a contact or number to call at CBS Sports? I know, alot to ask, but if you have a good lead- private e-mail it to me, please! And thanks again for the updates on the Court record. I'd love to eventually make the numbers available to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, which, sadly, doesn't know how many tournaments Margaret won between 1958-1968, only the big ones.Rollo said:Al played a few events when tennis went open, but she couldn't get anywhere. I know one year she wanted to play the US Open, but they
were going to make her qualify
Her and Arthur Ashe played mixed at least once at the Open in 73.
For some reason Althea skipped most of 1959, but then played a grass court event in Canada the week after the US Nationals. She won it. Bet they paid her good money.
The only recorded pro women's event before the Open era was a 6 woman tournament in Cleveland in 1960. An aged Gibson beat an even older Pauline Betz 7-5 in thr 3rd.
BTW Alfa-I found out CBS televised the Slims tour in 1975, including a couple of Court finals, one with Evert.
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