Watson, Maud (b. 1864)

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Watson, Maud (b. 1864)

English tennis champion . Born Maud Edith Eleanor Watson in Harrow, Middlesex, England, in 1864; daughter of a rector in Berkswell, England; sister of Lillian Watson.

In 1884, Maud Watson became the first woman champion at Wimbledon, when she and 13 other women vied for the trophy. Wearing a corset and an ankle-length dress, Maud beat her older sister Lillian Watson in a tough final, 6–8, 6–3, 6–3. She repeated her win in 1885, triumphing over Blanche Bingley (Hillward) , 6–1, 7–5. In 1886, Bingley handily beat Watson, 6–3, 6–3. A Wimbledon face-off between two sisters would not be repeated until the year 2000, when Venus Williams beat her little sister Serena Williams in the semifinals on centre court.