Mary Browne

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title: "Mary Browne" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["amateur-golfers", "american-female-tennis-players", "american-female-golfers", "tennis-coaches-from-california", "golfers-from-ventura-county,-california", "grand-slam-(tennis)-champions-in-mixed-doubles", "grand-slam-(tennis)-champions-in-women's-doubles", "grand-slam-(tennis)-champions-in-women's-singles", "international-tennis-hall-of-fame-inductees", "tennis-players-from-ventura-county,-california", "professional-tennis-players-before-the-open-era", "united-states-national-champions-(tennis)", "wimbledon-champions-(pre-open-era)", "1891-births", "1971-deaths", "20th-century-american-sportswomen"] description: "American tennis player" topic_path: "sports" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Browne" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American tennis player ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox tennis biography"]

Field	Value
name	Mary Browne
image	Mary Browne.jpg
fullname	Mary Kendall Browne
country
birth_date
birth_place	Ventura County, California, U.S.
death_date
death_place	Laguna Hills, U.S.
height
plays	Right-handed
tennishofyear	1957
tennishofid	mary-browne
website
highestsinglesranking	No. 1 (U.S. Singles Ranking)
FrenchOpenresult	F (1926)
USOpenresult	W (1912, 1913, 1914)
Othertournaments
WimbledonDoublesresult	W (1926)
USOpenDoublesresult	W (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1925)
OthertournamentsDoubles
Mixed
WimbledonMixedresult	F (1926)
USOpenMixedresult	W (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921)
::

|name = Mary Browne |image = Mary Browne.jpg |caption = |fullname = Mary Kendall Browne |country = |residence = |birth_date = |birth_place = Ventura County, California, U.S. |death_date = |death_place = Laguna Hills, U.S. |height = |college = |turnedpro = |retired = |plays = Right-handed |careerprizemoney = |tennishofyear = 1957 |tennishofid = mary-browne |website = |singlesrecord = |singlestitles = |highestsinglesranking = No. 1 (U.S. Singles Ranking) |AustralianOpenresult = |FrenchOpenresult = F (1926) |Wimbledonresult = |USOpenresult = W (1912, 1913, 1914) |Othertournaments = |Olympicsresult = |doublesrecord = |doublestitles = |highestdoublesranking = |grandslamsdoublesresults = |AustralianOpenDoublesresult = |FrenchOpenDoublesresult = |WimbledonDoublesresult = W (1926) |USOpenDoublesresult = W (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921, 1925) |OthertournamentsDoubles = |OlympicsDoublesresult = |Mixed = |mixedrecord = |mixedtitles = |AustralianOpenMixedresult = |FrenchOpenMixedresult = |WimbledonMixedresult = F (1926) |USOpenMixedresult = W (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921)

Mary Kendall Browne (June 3, 1891 – August 19, 1971) was an American professional tennis player and an amateur golfer. She was born in Ventura County, California.

Biography

According to A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Browne was ranked in the world top 10 in 1921 (when the rankings began), 1924, and 1926, reaching a career high of world no. 3 in those rankings in 1921. Browne was included in the year-end top 10 rankings issued by the United States Lawn Tennis Association in 1913 (when the rankings began), 1914, 1921, 1924, and 1925. She was the top-ranked U.S. player in 1914. She also played golf and was runner-up at the 1924 U.S. Women's Amateur to champion Dorothy Campbell Hurd. She took part in the 1925 and 1926 editions of the Wightman Cup, an annual women's team tennis competition between the United States and Great Britain.

She later became a coach at the University of Chicago, where she is credited with inventing the backboard for use in practice. She later transferred to the University of Washington and then Lake Erie College.

She died in Laguna Hills on August 19, 1971, age 80, of complications from kidney failure.

Browne was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1957.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

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Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1912	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Eleonora Sears	6–4, 6–2
Win	1913	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Dorothy Green	6–2, 7–5
Win	1914	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Marie Wagner	6–2, 1–6, 6–1
Loss	1921	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Molla Mallory	6–4, 4–6, 2–6
Loss	1926	French Championships	Clay	FRA Suzanne Lenglen	1–6, 0–6
::

Doubles (6 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1912	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Dorothy Green	USA Maud Barger-Wallach
USA Mrs. Frederick Schmitz	6–2, 5–7, 6–0
Win	1913	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Louise Riddell Williams	USA Dorothy Green
USA Edna Wildey	12–10, 2–6, 6–3
Win	1914	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Louise Riddell Williams	USA Louise Raymond
USA Edna Wildey	10–8, 6–2
Win	1921	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Louise Riddell Williams	USA Helen Gilleaudeau
USA Mrs. L.G. Morris	6–3, 6–2
Win	1925	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Helen Wills	USA May Sutton Bundy
USA Elizabeth Ryan	6–4, 6–3
Win	1926	Wimbledon	Grass	USA Elizabeth Ryan	GBR Evelyn Colyer
GBR Kitty McKane Godfree	6–1, 6–1
Loss	1926	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Charlotte Hosmer Chapin	USA Eleanor Goss
USA Elizabeth Ryan	6–3, 4–6, 10–12
::

Mixed Doubles (4 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1912	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA R. Norris Williams	USA Eleonora Sears
USA Bill Clothier	6–4, 2–6, 11–9
Win	1913	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Bill Tilden	USA Dorothy Green
GBR C.S. Rogers	7–5, 7–5
Win	1914	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Bill Tilden	USA Margaretta Myers
USA J. R. Rowland	6–1, 6–4
Win	1921	U.S. National Championships	Grass	USA Bill Johnston	USA Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
USA Bill Tilden	3–6, 6–4, 6–3
Loss	1926	Wimbledon	Grass	USA Howard Kinsey	GBR Kathleen McKane
GBR Leslie Godfree	3–6, 4–6
::

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

::data[format=table]

Tournament	1912	1913	1914	1915	1916	1917	1918	1919	1920	1921	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	Career SR
Australian Championships	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0
French Championships1	A	A	A	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	A	A	A	A	NH	A	F	0 / 1
Wimbledon	A	A	A	NH	NH	NH	NH	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	0 / 1
U.S. Championships	W	W	W	A	A	A	A	A	A	F	A	A	SF	3R	SF	3 / 7
SR	1 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 3	3 / 9
::

1Through 1923, the French Championships were open only to French nationals. The World Hard Court Championships (WHCC), actually played on clay in Paris or Brussels, began in 1912 and were open to all nationalities. The results from that tournament are shown here from 1912 through 1914 and from 1920 through 1923. The Olympics replaced the WHCC in 1924, as the Olympics were held in Paris. Beginning in 1925, the French Championships were open to all nationalities, with the results shown here beginning with that year.

References

References

1. Collins, Bud. (2008). "The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book". New Chapter Press.
2. United States Tennis Association. (1988). "1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook". H.O. Zimman, Inc..
3. (2 February 2016). "Mary K. Browne". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
4. "100 years of Wimbledon" page 209
5. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation. (March 1952)

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