Shirley June Fry Irvin (née Fry; June 30, 1927 – July 13, 2021) was an American tennis player. During her career, which lasted from the early 1940s until the mid-1950s, she won the singles title at all four Grand Slam events, as well as 13 doubles titles, and was ranked No. 1 in the world in 1956.

Shirley Fry
Fry in the Netherlands in 1953
Full nameShirley June Fry Irvin
Country (sports) United States
Born(1927-06-30)June 30, 1927
Akron, Ohio, United States
DiedJuly 13, 2021(2021-07-13) (aged 94)
Naples, Florida, United States
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)
Retired1957
PlaysRight–handed
Int. Tennis HoF1970 (member page)
Singles
Career record596-146 (80.3%)
Career titles63
Highest rankingNo. 1 (1956)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian OpenW (1957)
French OpenW (1951)
WimbledonW (1956)
US OpenW (1956)
Doubles
Career record0–0
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian OpenW (1957)
French OpenW (1950, 1951, 1952, 1953)
WimbledonW (1951, 1952, 1953)
US OpenW (1951, 1952, 1953, 1954)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French OpenF (1952)
WimbledonW (1956)
US OpenF (1951, 1955)
Team competitions
Wightman CupW (1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956)

Early life

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Fry was born in Akron, Ohio, on June 30, 1927.[1] She started playing tennis competitively at age nine.[2][3] She was educated at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, graduating in 1949.[2][4]

Career

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Fry was one of 10 women[a] to have won each Grand Slam singles tournament at least once during her career. She was also one of seven women (with Doris Hart, Margaret Court, Martina Navratilova, Pam Shriver, Serena Williams, and Venus Williams) to have won all four Grand Slam doubles tournaments.[5] At the U.S. National Championship (precursor of the U.S. Open) in 1942, Fry reached the singles quarterfinals at the age of 15. At Wimbledon in 1953, Fry and Hart lost only four games during the entire women's doubles tournament and won three matches without losing a game, including the semifinals and finals, the latter over Connolly and Julia Sampson. Fry won the last three Grand Slam singles tournaments she entered, including wins over Althea Gibson in the Wimbledon quarterfinal and U.S. Championship final in 1956 and the Australian Championships final in 1957.[5]

Fry was ranked in the world top 10 in 1946 and 1948 and from 1950 through 1955 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), and No. 1 in 1956.[6] The United States Lawn Tennis Association ranked her in the U.S. top 10 from 1944 through 1955 and No. 1 in 1956.[7] She briefly retired in early 1956 and worked as a copygirl for the St. Petersburg Times. However, she returned later that spring after receiving an invitation to play in the Wightman Cup.[1][8] She retired for the final time in 1957,[8] and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1970.[5]

From 1951 through 1956, Fry participated in the Wightman Cup, the women's team competition between Great Britain and the United States, and contributed to the U.S. victory during each of these editions with the exception of 1954, when her final doubles rubber was not played. She compiled a 10–2 win–loss record.[4]

Later life

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Fry married Karl Irvin in Australia in February 1957, after which she retired from top-level tennis.[3][4] They remained married until his death from a heart attack in 1976. Together, they had four children: Mark, Scott, Lori and Karen.[1]

Fry resided in Naples, Florida, during her later years.[8] She died there on the night of July 13, 2021, at the age of 94.[1][9] Prior to her death, she was the longest surviving female Grand Slam tournament and Wimbledon singles champion.[10]

Career statistics

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Grand Slam tournament timelines

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Sources:[1][5]

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Singles

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Tournament 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 19461 19471 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 Career SR
Australian Championships NH NH NH NH NH A A A A A A A A A A A W 1 / 1
French Championships R R R R A A A F A QF W F SF A A A A 1 / 5
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH NH A A QF 4R QF F SF SF QF A W A 1 / 8
U.S. Championships 1R QF 1R QF 1R 1R 3R 3R 3R QF F SF SF SF QF W A 1 / 16
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 3 1 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 1 2 / 2 1 / 1 4 / 30

Doubles

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Tournament 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 19461 19471 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 Career SR
Australian Championships A NH NH NH NH NH A A A A A A A A A A W 1 / 1
French Championships R R R R A A A F A W W W W A A A A 4 / 5
Wimbledon NH NH NH NH NH A A 3R SF F W W W F A SF A 3 / 8
U.S. Championships A 1R 1R QF SF SF SF SF F F W W W W F F A 4 / 15
SR 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 3 0 / 2 1 / 3 3 / 3 3 / 3 3 / 3 1 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 1 / 1 12 / 29

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.
1In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

Grand Slam tournament finals

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Source:[5]

Singles: 8 (4 titles, 4 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss 1948 French Championships Clay   Nelly Adamson Landry 2–6, 6–0, 0–6
Win 1951 French Championships Clay   Doris Hart 6–3, 3–6, 6–3
Loss 1951 Wimbledon Grass   Doris Hart 1–6, 0–6
Loss 1951 U.S. Championships Grass   Maureen Connolly 3–6, 6–1, 4–6
Loss 1952 French Championships Clay   Doris Hart 4–6, 4–6
Win 1956 Wimbledon Grass   Angela Buxton 6–3, 6–1
Win 1956 U.S. Championships Grass   Althea Gibson 6–3, 6–4
Win 1957 Australian Championships Grass   Althea Gibson 6–3, 6–4

Doubles: 19 (12 titles, 7 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1948 French Championships Clay   Mary Arnold   Doris Hart
  Patricia Canning Todd
4–6, 2–6
Loss 1949 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
4–6, 8–10
Win 1950 French Championships Clay   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
1–6, 7–5, 6–2
Loss 1950 Wimbledon Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
4–6, 7–5, 1–6
Loss 1950 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
2–6, 3–6
Win 1951 French Championships Clay   Doris Hart   Beryl Bartlett
  Barbara Scofield
10–8, 6–3
Win 1951 Wimbledon Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
6–2, 13–11
Win 1951 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Nancy Chaffee
  Patricia Canning Todd
6–4, 6–2
Win 1952 French Championships Clay   Doris Hart   Hazel Redick-Smith
  Julia Wipplinger
7–5, 6–1
Win 1952 Wimbledon Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Maureen Connolly
8–6, 6–3
Win 1952 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Maureen Connolly
10–8, 6–4
Win 1953 French Championships Clay   Doris Hart   Maureen Connolly
  Julia Sampson
6–4, 6–3
Win 1953 Wimbledon Grass   Doris Hart   Maureen Connolly
  Julia Sampson
6–0, 6–0
Win 1953 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
6–2, 7–9, 9–7
Loss 1954 Wimbledon Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
6–4, 7–9, 1–6
Win 1954 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
6–4, 6–4
Loss 1955 U.S. Championships Grass   Doris Hart   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
3–6, 6–1, 3–6
Loss 1956 U.S. Championships Grass   Betty Rosenquest   Louise Brough
  Margaret Osborne duPont
3–6, 0–6
Win 1957 Australian Championships Grass   Althea Gibson   Mary Bevis Hawton
  Fay Muller
6–2, 6–1

Mixed doubles: 5 (1 title, 4 runners-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss 1951 U.S. Championships Grass   Mervyn Rose   Doris Hart
  Frank Sedgman
3–6, 2–6
Loss 1952 French Championships Clay   Eric Sturgess   Doris Hart
  Frank Sedgman
8–6, 3–6, 3–6
Loss 1953 Wimbledon Grass   Enrique Morea   Doris Hart
  Vic Seixas
7–9, 5–7
Loss 1955 U.S. Championships Grass   Gardnar Mulloy   Doris Hart
  Vic Seixas
5–7, 7–5, 2–6
Win 1956 Wimbledon Grass   Vic Seixas   Gardnar Mulloy
  Althea Gibson
2–6, 6–2, 7–5

See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Drucker, Joel (July 14, 2021). "In Memoriam: Shirley Fry Irvin". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  2. ^ a b David Whitley (September 8, 2000). "Orlando's Wimbledon Champion". Orlando Sentinel.
  3. ^ a b "Shirley Fry engaged; to wed in February". St. Petersburg Times. December 4, 1956. p. 22 – via Google News Archive.
  4. ^ a b c "Women's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame". Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA).
  5. ^ a b c d e f "Shirley Fry". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  6. ^ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 702–3. ISBN 978-0-942257-41-0.
  7. ^ United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 261.
  8. ^ a b c "Tennis Hall of Famer Shirley Fry Irvin dies at 94". Associated Press. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Hall of Famer Shirley Fry Irvin dies at 94". Reuters. July 14, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
  10. ^ Enceladus (February 5, 2021). "The oldest living female grandslam singles champions". Talk Tennis. Retrieved July 15, 2021.
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