Blanche Bingley Hillyard (née Bingley; 3 November 1863 – 6 August 1946) was an English tennis player. She won six singles Wimbledon championships (1886, 1889, 1894, 1897, 1898, 1900) and was runner up seven times, having also competed in the first ever Wimbledon championships for women in 1884.
 | |
| Full name | Blanche Bingley Hillyard |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | 3 November 1863 Greenford, Middlesex, England |
| Died | 6 August 1946 (aged 82) Pulborough, Sussex, England |
| Plays | Right-handed |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2013 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career titles | 58[1] |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1886, 1889, 1894, 1897, 1899, 1900) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 1R (1913) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1913) |
She also won the Irish Championships three times (1888, 1894, 1897); the German International Championships twice (1897, 1900); and the South of England Championships at Eastbourne, 11 times between 1885 and 1905.
Early life
editBingley was born in Greenford, west London, the daughter of a wealthy tailoring business proprietor. She was a member of the Ealing Lawn Tennis & Archery Club.[2]
Biography
editWimbledon
editHer career at Wimbledon spanned almost 30 years, longer than any other woman to date. In 1884, she competed in the first ever Wimbledon championships for women, and two years later, she captured the first of her six singles titles. Also a seven-time losing finalist, Bingley's 13 finals remain a Wimbledon record, as is the 14-year time span between her first and last titles.[3][4]
Bingley's Wimbledon record suggests that she was the second strongest female player of her day, only behind Lottie Dod, who defeated her in five finals.[5][6]
After marriage to Commander George Whiteside Hillyard, she was usually listed in various records as Blanche Bingley Hillyard. At age 36, she again won the Wimbledon final and continued to compete until age 49, playing her last Wimbledon in 1913.
Other championships
edit
Bingley's first success came at the Middlesex Championships, held in Chiswick Park (west London) in 1884. She won the Irish Championships on three occasions (1888, 1894, 1897) and the German International Championships, played in Hamburg twice; in 1897, defeating Charlotte Cooper Sterry in the final in three sets, and in 1900 against Muriel Robb, also in three sets. Additionally, she won the South of England Championships at Eastbourne, then a major event, eleven times between 1885 and 1905.[7] She also won the Sussex Championships at Brighton five times (1893–1896, 1900). She won the London Championships at Stamford Bridge three times (1886–1888), the Derbyshire Championships at Buxton six times (1888, 1893–1894, 1896, 1901, 1906), the Exmouth LTC Tournament two times (1887–1888) at Exmouth, the British Covered Court Championships (1901), the Bournemouth Open Tournament at Bournemouth (1901),
Private life
editShe married Commander George Whiteside Hillyard in Greenford on 13 July 1887) one week after the Wimbledon final.[2]
Her husband was one of the foremost men's players on the international tennis circuit between 1886 and 1914. He also played first class cricket for Middlesex and Leicestershire.[citation needed] From 1907 to 1925, he was secretary of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and director of The Championships at Wimbledon between 1907 and 1925. He died in Bramfold, Pulborough, on 24 March 1943.[citation needed]
Death and legacy
editBlanche Bingley Hillyard died at her home in Pulborough, West Sussex, in 1946.
She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.[8]
Grand Slam finals
editSingles: 13 (6 titles, 7 runner-ups)
edit| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1885 | Wimbledon | Grass | Maud Watson |
1–6, 5–7 |
| Win | 1886 | Wimbledon | Grass | Maud Watson |
6–3, 6–3 |
| Loss | 1887 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lottie Dod |
2–6, 0–6 |
| Loss | 1888 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lottie Dod |
3–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 18891 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Helena Rice |
4–6, 8–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 18913 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lottie Dod |
2–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1892 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lottie Dod |
1–6, 1–6 |
| Loss | 1893 | Wimbledon | Grass | Lottie Dod |
8–6, 1–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 18942 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | Edith Austin Greville |
6–1, 6–1 |
| Win | 1897 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | Charlotte Cooper |
5–7, 7–5, 6–2 |
| Win | 1899 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | Charlotte Cooper |
6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 1900 | Wimbledon (6) | Grass | Charlotte Cooper |
4–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1901 | Wimbledon | Grass | Charlotte Cooper |
2–6, 2–6 |
1This was the all-comers final as Lottie Dod did not defend her 1888 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and, thus, Wimbledon in 1889 by walkover.
2This was the all-comers final as Lottie Dod did not defend her 1893 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and, thus, Wimbledon in 1894 by walkover.
3This was the all-comers final as Helena Rice did not defend her 1890 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and, thus, Wimbledon in 1891 by walkover.
Grand Slam performance timeline
edit| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
See also
editReferences
edit
- ^ Tarran, Bruce (2013). George Hillyard: The man who moved Wimbledon. Troubador Publishing Ltd. p. 143. ISBN 9781780885490. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
- ^ a b Tarran, Bruce (2013). George Hillyard: The Man Who Moved Wimbledon. Kibworth Beauchamp: Matador. p. 11. ISBN 978-1780885490.
- ^ Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 693. ISBN 9780942257700.
- ^ "Lady Champion of England". Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW : 1870 – 1907). NSW. 14 October 1899. p. 55 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Lawn Tennis". Australian Town and Country Journal (NSW : 1870 – 1907). NSW. 8 September 1888. p. 41 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP". Launceston Examiner (Tas. : 1842 – 1899). Tas. 13 July 1891. p. 3 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Barrett, John (2001). Wimbledon: The Official History of the Championships. London: CollinsWillow in 1897, defeating Charlotte Cooper Sterry in the final in three sets, and in 1900 against Muriel Robb, also in three sets. Additionally, she wo. p. 37. ISBN 0007117078.
- ^ "Hall of Famers – Blanche Bingley Hillyard". tennisfame.com. International Tennis Hall of Fame.
External links
edit- Obituary in the New York Times: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1946/08/08/93144141.html?pdf_redirect=true&site=true&pageNumber=18
