 | |
| Full name | Blanche Bingley Hillyard |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | (1863-11-03)3 November 1863 |
| Died | 6 August 1946(1946-08-06) (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) |
Blanche Bingley Hillyard (née Bingley; 3 November 1863 – 6 August 1946) was an Englishtennis player. She won six singlesWimbledon 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.
She also won theIrish Championships three times (1888, 1894, 1897); theGerman International Championships twice (1897, 1900); and theSouth of England Championships atEastbourne, 11 times between 1885 and 1905.
Bingley was born inGreenford,Middlesex, the daughter of a wealthy tailoring business proprietor. She was a member of theEaling Lawn Tennis & Archery Club.[2]
Her career at Wimbledon spanned almost 30 years, longer than any other woman to date. In 1884, she competed in the first everWimbledon 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 behindLottie Dod, who defeated her in five finals.[5][6]
After marriage toCommander 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.
Bingley's first success came at theMiddlesex Championships, held in Chiswick Park (west London) in 1884. She won theIrish Championships on three occasions (1888, 1894, 1897) and theGerman International Championships, played in Hamburg twice; in 1897, defeatingCharlotte Cooper Sterry in the final in three sets, and in 1900 againstMuriel Robb, also in three sets. Additionally, she won theSouth of England Championships at Eastbourne, then a major event, eleven times between 1885 and 1905.[7] She also won theSussex Championships atBrighton five times (1893–1896, 1900). She won theLondon Championships atStamford Bridge three times (1886–1888), theDerbyshire Championships atBuxton six times (1888, 1893–1894, 1896, 1901, 1906), theExmouth LTC Tournament two times (1887–1888) atExmouth, theBritish Covered Court Championships (1901), theBournemouth Open Tournament atBournemouth (1901),
She marriedCommander 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]
Blanche Bingley Hillyard died at her home in Pulborough, West Sussex, in 1946.
She was inducted into theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013.[8]
| 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 | 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 asLottie 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 asHelena 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.
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| 1884 | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wimbledon | SF | F | W | F | F | W | A | F | F | F | W | A | A | W | A | W | W | F | 2R | A | 3R | SF | QF | SF | 2R | 2R | 3R | A | SF | 2R |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
