Pauline Betz, American tennis player died he was , 91.

 Pauline May Betz Addie was an American professional tennis player died he was , 91.. She won five Grand Slam singles titles and was the runner-up on three other occasions. Jack Kramer has called her the second best female tennis player he ever saw, behind Helen Wills Moody.


(August 6, 1919 - May 31, 2011)

Early life

Betz attended Los Angeles High School and learned her tennis from Dick Skeen. She continued her tennis and education at Rollins College (graduating in 1943),^[3][4][5][6] where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She went on to win four United States Singles Championships.^[5]

Career

Addie won the first of her four singles titles at the U.S. Championships in 1942, saving a match point in the semifinals against Margaret Osborne duPont while trailing 3–5 in the final set.^[7] The following year, she won the Tri-State tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio, defeating Catherine Wolf in the final 6–0, 6–2 without losing a point in the first set,^[7] a "Golden Set". She won the Wimbledon singles title in 1946, the only time she entered the tournament, without losing a set.^[7] Her amateur career ended when she explored the possibilities of turning professional.^[7]
According to John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Addie was ranked World No. 1 in 1946 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945).^[8] Addie was included in the year-end top ten rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association from 1939 through 1946. She was the top ranked U.S. player from 1942 through 1944 and in 1946.^[9]
Addie was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965.^[7]
The Pauline Betz Addie Tennis Center at Cabin John Regional Park in Potomac, Maryland was renamed in her honor on May 1, 2008. Addie, Allie Ritzenberg, and Stanley Hoffberger founded the center in 1972.^{[citation needed]}

Grand Slam record

• French Championships
• Singles runner-up: 1946
• Women's Doubles runner-up: 1946
• Mixed Doubles champion: 1946

• Wimbledon
• Singles champion: 1946
• Women's Doubles runner-up: 1946

• U.S. Championships
• Singles champion: 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946
• Singles runner-up: 1941, 1945
• Women's Doubles runner-up: 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945
• Mixed Doubles runner-up: 1941, 1943

Grand Slam singles finals

Wins (5)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1942	U.S. Championships	Louise Brough Clapp	4–6, 6–1, 6–4
1943	U.S. Championships (2)	Louise Brough Clapp	6–3, 5–7, 6–3
1944	U.S. Championships (3)	Margaret Osborne duPont	6–3, 8–6
1946	Wimbledon	Louise Brough Clapp	6–2, 6–4
1946	U.S. Championships (4)	Doris Hart	11–9, 6–3

[edit] Runner-ups (3)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1941	U.S. Championships	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	7–5, 6–2
1945	U.S. Championships	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	3–6, 8–6, 6–4
1946	French Championships	Margaret Osborne duPont	1–6, 8–6, 7–5

[edit] Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	19461	Career SR
Australian Championships	A	A	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	A	0 / 0
French Championships	A	NH	R	R	R	R	A	F	0 / 1
Wimbledon	A	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	W	1 / 1
U.S. Championships	1R	QF	F	W	W	W	F	W	4 / 8
SR	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1	0 / 1	2 / 3	5 / 10

NH = tournament not held. R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation. A = did not participate in the tournament. SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
¹In 1946, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

Personal life

Betz was married to sportswriter Bob Addie.^[7] She was the mother of author Kim Addonizio.^{[citation needed]}

Death

Pauline Betz Addie died in her sleep on May 31, 2011. She was 91 years old.^[10]

 

To see more of who died in 2010 click here