1885 women's tennis season

The 1885 Women's tennis season was a tennis circuit composed of 60 national, regional, county, and regular tournaments. The season began in May in Sydney, Australia and ended in November in New Haven, United States.[1]

1885 Women's tennis season
Maud Watson is singles title leader this year
Details
Duration4 May – 6 November
Edition10th
Tournaments60 (Amateur)
CategoriesImportant (3)
National (0)
Provincial/Regional/State (7)
County (7)
Regular (13)
Achievements (singles)
Most tournament titles Maud Watson (5)
Most tournament finals Blanche Bingley (6)
← 1884
1886 →

Season summary

Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win.[2][3][4]

1885 sees a large expansion in the overall number of combined women's events being held as the tennis circuit continues to grow.[5] At the beginning of may the first Inter-Colonial Lawn Tennis Tournament (later known as the New South Wales Championships) is held in Sydney, Australia and is won by Annie Lamb.[6]

In late May 1884 at the first major event of the year the Irish Championships[7] in Dublin, Ireland. In the women's singles final England's Maud Watson retains the title defeating Irleland's Louisa Martin. Watson also claims the doubles title with her sister Lilian Watson defeating the Irish sisters Adela Langrishe and May Langrishe. In the mixed doubles Watson retains the title with William Renshaw against Ireland's Connie Butler and Ireland's Ernest Browne.[1] and completes a clean sweep of all possible events, singles, doubles and mixed doubles.[1]

In June 1884 at the second major tournament of the year the Northern Championships in Manchester England's Maud Watson wins her second major singles title against Edith Davies. The women's doubles title is won by Ann Dod and Lottie Dod who defeated Margaret Bracewell and Beatrice Langrishe.[1] In the mixed doubles event Maud Watson wins a second title paired with William Renshaw beating England's Margaret Bracewell and America's James Dwight.[1]

At the 1885 Wimbledon Championships the world's first major tennis tournament in the singles competition Maud Watson defeats Blanche Bingley to claim a second ladies championship title.[8] At the U.S. National Championships there was still no women's championship events held.

In Australasia in October the Victorian Championships held in Melbourne, Australia and played on asphalt courts is won by Mabel Shaw. In November the season ended in the United States at the New Hampshire Tennis Association Tournament at that was by Adeline Robinson. In 1913 the International Lawn Tennis Federation was created, and consisted of 13 national member associations. The ILTF through its associated members then became responsible for supervising women's tour events.

Season results

Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921),[9] in some tournaments not all.

* Indicates challenge round final

Key

Main events.[10][11][12][13]
National events
Provincial/State/Regional events
County events
Regular events

Singles

Results included:.[14]

Tournaments (31)
#Date endedTournamentLocationSurfaceWinnerFinalistScore
1.7-May-1885[15]Inter-Colonial Lawn Tennis TournamentSydneyGrass Annie Lamb Miss Gordon6–5, 6–4, 6–1, 6–1
2.26-May-1885[14]Irish ChampionshipsDublinGrass Maud Watson Louisa Martin6–2, 4–6, 6–3
3.30-May-1885[14]West of England ChampionshipsBathGrass Gertrude Gibbs Edith Davies2–6, 6–4, 6–0
4.6-Jun-1885[14]East Gloucestershire ChampionshipsCheltenhamGrass Maud Watson Connie Butler6–3, 6–1
5.13-Jun-1885[14]Kilkenny County and City TournamentArchersfieldGrass May Langrishe Miss Neville6–1, 6–8
6.13-Jun-1885[14]London ChampionshipsStamford BridgeGrass Maud Watson Lilian Watson6–2, 6–3
7.17-Jun-1885[14]Acton Vale LTC OpenEast ActonGrass Blanche Bingley Miss Day6–0, 6–2
8.19-Jun-1885[14]Waterloo TournamentLiverpoolGrass Lottie Dod Margaret Bracewell6–4, 6–2
9.20-Jun-1885[14]Brincliffe Lawn Tennis Club Open TournamentSheffieldGrass Beatrice Wood Florence Mardall6–1, 6–0
10.27-Jun-1885[14]Northern Championships *ManchesterGrass Maud Watson Edith Davies6–3, 6–3
11.3-Jul-1885[14]Midland Counties Championship CupEdgbastonGrass Margaret Bracewell Mary Steedman6–3, 6–2
12.9-Jul-1885[14]Ealing Lawn Tennis TournamentEalingGrass Charlotte Cooper Edith Gurney6–4, 6–4
13.9-Jul-1885[16]Natal ChampionshipsDurbanGrass Mabel Grant L. Button18–8 games
14.17-Jul-1885[14]Wimbledon ChampionshipsLondonGrass Maud Watson Blanche Bingley6–1, 7–5
15.25-Jul-1885[14]Chiswick Park TournamentChiswick ParkGrass Edith Gurney Blanche Bingley1–6, 7–5, 6–0
16.25-Jul-1885[14]Leicester Open Lawn Tennis TournamentLeicesterGrass Margaret Bracewell Agnes Watts6–2, 8–6
17.6-Aug-1885[14]Darlington Association TournamentDarlingtonGrass Florence Stanuell Connie Butler6–0, 7–5
18.8-Aug-1885[14]West of Ireland ChampionshipsSligoGrass C. McClintock Maude Scovell0–6, 6–3, 6–2
19.14-Aug-1885[14]East Grinstead Lawn Tennis TournamentEast GrinsteadGrass Blanche Bingley Edith Davies6–2, 5–7, 6–3
20.17-Aug-1885Charleville Ladies' TournamentCharlevilleGrass Miss CrookbainWon
21.18-Aug-1885[14]Bournemouth Lawn Tennis Club TournamentBournemouthGrass Mrs Surman Mrs Hornbydrew
22.20-Aug-1885Augusta TournamentAugustaGrass Miss Haynes Katie Baldwin3–6, 6–1, 6–4
23.22-Aug-1885[14]North Yorkshire TournamentScarboroughGrass Mabel Boulton Beatrice Wood6–2, 6–2
24.22-Aug-1885[14]South of Scotland ChampionshipsMoffatGrass Ann Dod J. Forrest6–0, 6–0
25.29-Aug-1885[14]Derbyshire ChampionshipsBuxtonGrass Blanche Bingley Louisa Martin6–3, 6–3
26.17-Sep-1885[14]South of England ChampionshipsEastbourneGrass Blanche Bingley Ada Strapp6–1, 6–0
27.26-Sep-1885[14]Sussex County Lawn Tennis TournamentBrightonAsphalt EF Hudson Constance Bryan6–1, 6–4
28.26-Sep-1885Orange LTC OpenMontroseGrass Adeline Robinson Grace Roosevelt6–3, 3–6, 6–2
29.5-Oct-1885Camp Washington Ladies Lawn Tennis TournamentLivingstonGrass Miss Lesley Miss Austin4–6, 6–2, 6–3
30.10-Oct-1885Victorian ChampionshipsMelbourneAsphalt Mabel Shaw Miss Patterson13–7 games
31.6-Nov-1885New Hampshire Tennis Association TournamentNew HavenGrass Adeline Robinson Emma Leavitt-Morgan6–2, 6–3

Tournament winners

Singles
This is list of winners sorted by number of singles titles (# and main titles in bold)

Doubles
This is list of winners sorted by number of doubles titles (# and main titles in bold)
Note: Ann Dod and Connie Butler won titles with two different partners.

Mixed doubles
This is list of winners sorted by number of mixed doubles titles (# and main titles in bold)

Statistical summary

Singles

Doubles
  • Total Tournaments: (15)
  • Most Titles: Ann Dod & Connie Butler (3)
  • Most Finals: Connie Butler (5)

Mix Doubles
  • Total Tournaments: (45)
  • Most Titles: Margaret Bracewell (5)
  • Most Finals: Margaret Bracewell (7)

References
  1. Garcia, Gabriel. "Season - 1885". The Tennis Base. Madrid: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  2. Robertson, Max (1974). The Encyclopedia of Tennis. London: Allen & Unwin. pp. 266, 267. ISBN 9780047960420.
  3. Meyers, A. Wallis (1903). Lawn Tennis at Home and Abroad. New York: Charles Scribner and Sons. p. 55.
  4. Lake, Robert J. (2014). A Social History of Tennis in Britain. Routledge. p. 49. ISBN 9781134445578.
  5. Berry. David (2020). A people's history of tennis. (2) Feminists. Pluto Books London ISBN 978-0745339658. p.33.
  6. "Lawn Tennis". Illustrated Sydney News. Vol. XXII, no. 6. New South Wales, Australia. 6 June 1885. pp. 11–15 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. Irish TV Documentary (4 Jul 2016). The True Tale Of The Irish Tennis Murderer. Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTE). Dublin. Ireland.
  8. "The Championships 1885 - Ladies' Singles" (PDF). Wimbledon. AELTC. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  9. "Abolition of Challenge Rounds". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. EVENING POST, VOLUME CIII, ISSUE 65, 20 March 1922. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  10. Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 198. ISBN 9781598843002.
  11. Gillmeister, Heiner (1998). Tennis:Cultural History. London: A&C Black. p. 199. ISBN 9780718501952.
  12. Mazak, Karoly (2017). The Concise History of Tennis. Independently published. pp. 5–36. ISBN 9781549746475.
  13. Lake, Robert J. (2014). A Social History of Tennis in Britain: Volume 5 of Routledge Research in Sports History. Routledge. p. 48. ISBN 9781134445578.
  14. "Lawn Tennis Tournaments of 1885". Routledges Sporting Annual. London: George Routledge and Son. 1886. pp. 124–130.
  15. Illustrated Sydney News
  16. "The History of KZN Tennis". KZN Tennis Association. p. 1. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
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