May Sutton
Encyclopedia
May Godfrey Sutton was a tennis
champion and the first American to win the singles title at Wimbledon
.
, England, but when she was six years old, Sutton's family moved to a ranch near Pasadena, California
. It was there that she and her sisters played tennis on a court built by her father. As young ladies, May and her sisters, Violet Sutton, Florence Sutton
, and Ethel Sutton, dominated the California tennis circuit. In 1904 at age 18, May Sutton won the singles title at the U.S. Championships
. She also teamed with Miriam Hall
to win the women's doubles title and came close to making it a clean sweep by advancing to the mixed doubles final.
In 1905, she became the first American and first non-British woman to win the Wimbledon singles title when she beat British star and reigning two-time Wimbledon champion Dorothea Douglass Chambers
. She did it while shocking the British audience by rolling up her sleeves to bare her elbows and wearing a skirt that showed her ankles. For the next two years, she and Chambers met in the final, with Chambers recapturing the title in 1906 and Sutton winning it back in 1907.
In 1912, she married Tom Bundy
, who was a three-time winner of the men's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, and semi-retired to raise a family. However, in 1921 at the age of 35, she made a comeback and became the fourth-ranked player in the U.S. In 1925, she was a women's doubles finalist at the U.S. Championships and, although almost forty years of age, her game was strong enough to be selected for America's Wightman Cup
team. She was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 1929 at the age of 42, which was the first time she had played Wimbledon since 1907. In 1928 and 1929, she and her daughter Dorothy Cheney
became the only mother/daughter combination to be seeded at the U.S. Championships. Her nephew, John Doeg, won the U.S. Championships in 1930, and in 1938 daughter Dorothy won the Australian Championships
.
In 1956, Sutton was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
. She never stopped playing tennis and was still playing regularly well into her late eighties.
Sutton died in 1975 and was interred in the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, California
.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
champion and the first American to win the singles title at Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon
The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors...
.
Biography
May Sutton was born in PlymouthPlymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England, but when she was six years old, Sutton's family moved to a ranch near Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. It was there that she and her sisters played tennis on a court built by her father. As young ladies, May and her sisters, Violet Sutton, Florence Sutton
Florence Sutton
Florence E. Sutton was an American tennis player.-Biography:She was born on September 2, 1883 to Adolphus De Gruchy Sutton and Adelina Esther Godfray. She was the sister of May Godfrey Sutton. She was a finalist for both singles and doubles titles in the US Open in 1911, losing to Hazel Hotchkiss...
, and Ethel Sutton, dominated the California tennis circuit. In 1904 at age 18, May Sutton won the singles title at the U.S. Championships
U.S. Open (tennis)
The US Open, formally the United States Open Tennis Championships, is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern iteration of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, which for men's singles was first contested in 1881...
. She also teamed with Miriam Hall
Miriam Hall
Miriam Hall was an American tennis player of the start of the 20th century.Notably, in 1904, she won the women's doubles at the US Women's National Championship with May Sutton Bundy.-Doubles titles:-Doubles finals lost:...
to win the women's doubles title and came close to making it a clean sweep by advancing to the mixed doubles final.
In 1905, she became the first American and first non-British woman to win the Wimbledon singles title when she beat British star and reigning two-time Wimbledon champion Dorothea Douglass Chambers
Dorothea Douglass Chambers
Dorothea Katherine Lambert Chambers was an English female tennis player who was born in Guayamas, Ealing in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
. She did it while shocking the British audience by rolling up her sleeves to bare her elbows and wearing a skirt that showed her ankles. For the next two years, she and Chambers met in the final, with Chambers recapturing the title in 1906 and Sutton winning it back in 1907.
In 1912, she married Tom Bundy
Tom Bundy
Thomas Clark Bundy was a tennis player from the Los Angeles, California, United States.Bundy won the All-Comers final, but finished runner-up to William Larned in the Challenge Round of the U.S. National Championships men's singles event, in 1910...
, who was a three-time winner of the men's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, and semi-retired to raise a family. However, in 1921 at the age of 35, she made a comeback and became the fourth-ranked player in the U.S. In 1925, she was a women's doubles finalist at the U.S. Championships and, although almost forty years of age, her game was strong enough to be selected for America's Wightman Cup
Wightman Cup
The Wightman Cup was a team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 between teams from the United States and Great Britain. U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generate international interest in women's tennis the way Davis Cup did for men's...
team. She was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 1929 at the age of 42, which was the first time she had played Wimbledon since 1907. In 1928 and 1929, she and her daughter Dorothy Cheney
Dorothy Cheney
Dorothy “Dodo” Bundy Cheney is the daughter of Tennis Hall of Famer May Sutton Bundy and U.S. doubles champion Tom Bundy . She has been an outstanding American tennis player from her youth into her 90s. She played most of her tennis at the Los Angeles Tennis Club , during the years that Perry T...
became the only mother/daughter combination to be seeded at the U.S. Championships. Her nephew, John Doeg, won the U.S. Championships in 1930, and in 1938 daughter Dorothy won the Australian Championships
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
.
In 1956, Sutton was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
. She never stopped playing tennis and was still playing regularly well into her late eighties.
Sutton died in 1975 and was interred in the Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.
Wins (3)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1904 | U.S. Championships |  Elisabeth MooreElisabeth Moore Elisabeth Holmes Moore was an American tennis champion. She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.-Biography:She was born on March 5, 1876 in Brooklyn... |
6–1, 6–2 |
| 1905 | Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
 Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers |
6–3, 6–4 |
| 1907 | Wimbledon (2) | Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers |
6–1, 6–4 |
Runner-up (1)
| Year | Championship | Opponent in Final | Score in Final |
| 1906 | Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon The Championships, Wimbledon, or simply Wimbledon , is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, considered by many to be the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London since 1877. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the other three Majors... |
Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers |
6–3, 9–7 |