 Bennett in 1928 | |
| Full name | Eileen Viviyen Bennett Fearnley-Whittingstall |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom |
| Born | (1907-07-16)16 July 1907 Paddington, London, England |
| Died | 18 August 1979(1979-08-18) (aged 72) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No.3 (1931) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| French Open | F (1928) |
| Wimbledon | QF (1928,1932) |
| US Open | F (1931) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1928, 1931) |
| Wimbledon | F (1928) |
| US Open | W (1931) |
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1928, 1929) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1930, 1932) |
| US Open | W (1927) |
Eileen Bennett Whittingstall (née Bennett; 16 July 1907 – c. 18 August 1979, full nameEileen Viviyen Bennett Fearnley-Whittingstall[1]) was a tennis player from the United Kingdom who won sixGrand Slam doubles titles from 1927 to 1931.
Although most of her success was in women's doubles or mixed doubles, Whittingstall reached the singles final of the 1928French Championships and the 1931US Championships. She lost both of these finals in straight sets toHelen Wills Moody.[2] She twice won the women's doubles title at the French Championships: in 1928 withPhoebe Holcroft Watson and in 1931 withBetty Nuthall. Whittingstall and Nuthall lost the 1932 final to the team of Moody andElizabeth Ryan.
Whittingstall teamed withErmyntrude Harvey to reach the 1928 women's doubles final atWimbledon, losing to the team of Watson andPeggy Saunders 2–6, 3–6. She also teamed with Shoemaker to win the 1931 women's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, defeatingHelen Jacobs andDorothy Round Little in the final in two sets.[2] Whittingstall twice partnered withHenri Cochet to win the mixed doubles title at the French Championships. In both 1928 and 1929, they defeated the team of Moody andFrank Hunter in the final. Whittingstall and Cochet lost the 1930 French final to the team ofBill Tilden andCilly Aussem.
Whittingstall and Cochet won the mixed doubles title at the 1927 US Championships, defeatingHazel Wightman andRené Lacoste in the final.
According toA. Wallis Myers ofThe Daily Telegraph and theDaily Mail, Whittingstall was ranked in the world top 10 in 1928, 1929, 1931, and 1932, reaching a career high of World No. 3 in those rankings in 1931.[3]
Bennett is credited with first wearing an above-the-knee form ofdivided skirt for competitive tennis.[4][5][6]
She was married on 19 November 1929 toEdmund Fearnley-Whittingstall,[7] a painter, and divorced in 1936.[1] She marriedMarcus Marsh, aracehorse trainer, on 28 September 1936 and gave birth to a daughter on 7 March 1937.[8][9][10] She was divorced from Mr Marsh in early 1947 and married Mr Geoffrey Ackroyd in June 1947.[11] She married for a fourth and final time in June 1957 to Mr Carl Vyvyan Forslind who outlived her.[11]
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 1928 | French Championships | Clay |  Helen Wills | 1–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 1931 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Helen Wills | 4–6, 1–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1928 | French Championships | Clay | Phoebe Holcroft |  Suzanne DevéSylvie Jung | 6–0, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1928 | Wimbledon | Grass | Ermyntrude Harvey | Peggy SaundersPhoebe Holcroft | 2–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 1931 | French Championships | Clay | Betty Nuthall |  Cilly AussemElizabeth Ryan | 9–7, 6–2 |
| Win | 1931 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Betty Nuthall | Helen JacobsDorothy Round | 6–2, 6–4 |
| Loss | 1932 | French Championships | Clay | Betty Nuthall | Elizabeth RyanHelen Wills | 1–6, 3–6 |
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1927 | U.S. National Championships | Grass | Henri Cochet | Hazel Hotchkiss WightmanRené Lacoste | 6–2, 6–0, 6–3 |
| Win | 1928 | French Championships | Clay | Henri Cochet | Helen WillsFrank Hunter | 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 1929 | French Championships | Clay | Henri Cochet | Helen Wills Frank Hunter | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1930 | French Championships | Clay | Henri Cochet | Cilly AussemBill Tilden | 4–6, 4–6 |
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Championships | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 0 / 0 |
| French Championships | A | A | SF | F | SF | 2R | 2R | QF | QF | A | A | 0 / 7 |
| Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 3R | QF | 4R | 2R | 4R | QF | 4R | 2R | 4R | 0 / 11 |
| US Championships | A | A | 3R | A | A | A | F | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 1 | 0 / 20 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |