Summary
Penelope Dora Harvey Boothby (2 August 1881 – 22 February 1970) was an English tennis and badminton player. She was born in Finchley, Middlesex. She is best remembered for her ladies' singles title at the 1909 Wimbledon Championships.[1] In Badminton, she won the 1909 All England Championships in Mixed doubles category.
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| Full name | Penelope Dora Harvey Boothby | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country (sports) |  United Kingdom | ||||||||
| Born | 2 August 1881 Finchley, England | ||||||||
| Died | 22 February 1970 (aged 88) Hammersmith, England | ||||||||
| Singles | |||||||||
| Grand Slam singles results | |||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1909) | ||||||||
| Doubles | |||||||||
| Grand Slam doubles results | |||||||||
| Wimbledon | W (1913) | ||||||||
| Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |||||||||
| Wimbledon | 3R (1913) | ||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||
Biography edit
Boothby was born in Finchley, and with her older sister Gertrude, lived there with her step-parents Harry and Gertrude Penn. Harry was a civil engineer, and by 1901, they had moved to South Norwood, where she played at Beulah Hill Club, and during the winter months, she played badminton.
In 1908, she won a silver medal in the women's singles event at the 1908 Summer Olympics.[2]
In 1909, when she won the Ladies' Singles at Wimbledon, the runner-up of the Men's Singles, Josiah Ritchie, was also living in Norwood.[3] Also in 1909, she won the singles title of the British Covered Court Championships, played on wood courts at the Queen's Club in London, after defeating Madeline O’Neill in the final in straight sets.
In 1911, she became the first female player to lose a Wimbledon final without winning a game, losing to Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers 6–0, 6–0.
In 1914, she married Arthur C.Geen.[3]
She died in Hammersmith[2] or Hampstead,[3] London in 1970.
Grand Slam finals edit
Singles (1 titles, 2 runners-up) edit
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 19091 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Agnes Morton |
6–4, 4–6, 8–6 |
| Runner-up | 1910 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Dorothea Lambert Chambers |
2–6, 2–6 |
| Runner-up | 1911 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Dorothea Lambert Chambers |
0–6, 0–6 |
1This was actually the all-comers final as Charlotte Cooper Sterry did not defend her 1908 Wimbledon title, which resulted in the winner of the all-comers final winning the challenge round and thus Wimbledon in 1909 by walkover.
Doubles (1 title) edit
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1913 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Winifred McNair
|
Charlotte Cooper Sterry Dorothea Lambert Chambers
|
4–6, 2–4 retired |
References edit
External links edit
- John Arlott (Hrsg.): The Oxford companion to sports & games. Oxford University Press, London 1975
- Dora Boothby at the International Tennis Federation
- All England champions 1899–2007
