Ann Haydon-Jones - American Tennis Champion

Career

Her parents were prominent table tennis players, and, as a young girl, she also took up the game. But she soon developed into a powerful lawn tennis player, winning the 1954 and 1955 British junior championships. In 1956, she won the Wimbledon girls' singles championship.

Ann Haydon-Jones played lawn tennis in a highly competitive era that included some of the greatest female tennis player of all time, including Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, and Maria Bueno. Despite the fierce competition, she won the 1961 French Championships and reached the finals of the 1961 U.S. Championships, losing to the defending champion, Darlene Hard. In 1962, she married P.F. Jones and, recorded as Ann Haydon-Jones, won the French title for a second time in 1966.

At both the Wimbledon Championships and the U.S. Championships in 1967, Ann Haydon-Jones lost in the final to King. Two years later, however, the two again met in the Wimbledon final. This time, Haydon-Jones took the most coveted title in the sport, making her the first left-handed female player to do so. She capped off that year's Wimbledon by winning the mixed doubles championship with Australia's Fred Stolle. Her performances resulted in her being voted as the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

According to Mark Lewisohn in "The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions," on July 4 1969, The Beatles paused the dubbing session for their song "Golden Slumbers" to listen to Haydon-Jones beat King for the Wimbledon title, live on radio.

With the dawn of the open era in 1968, Ann Haydon-Jones joined with King and others to organize the first professional female touring group. In 1970, she was hired by the BBC as a guest commentator and worked with them for over three decades.

In 1985, Haydon-Jones was voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Grand Slam record

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (3)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1961 French Championships Yola Ramνrez Ochoa 6–2, 6–1
1966 French Championships (2) Nancy Richey Gunter 6–3, 6–1
1969 Wimbledon Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–3, 6–2

Runner-ups (6)
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1961 U.S. Championships Darlene Hard 6–3, 6–4
1963 French Championships Lesley Turner Bowrey 2–6, 6–3, 7–5
1967 Wimbledon Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–4
1967 U.S. Championships Billie Jean King 11-9, 6–4
1968 French Open Nancy Richey Gunter 5–7, 6–4, 6–1
1969 French Open Margaret Court 6–1, 4–6, 6–3

Go to the List of Male and Female Tennis Players


Source of this article: Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia