this is a nice factoid for a resume...

[BTURNER]

The only person to have beaten both helen Wills and Susanne Lenglen in grand slam play. Yep, there is someone with the footspeed and tenacity of Sanchez-Vicario and the bold on-the-rise forehand of a Steffi Graf - the singular Molla Mallory! Here's the wiki on her.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molla_Mallory

Even assuming Helen was young, and Suzanne was ill ( one french judge resigned in protest to the affirmative ejudication but who knows) it still shows a remarkable talent with four consecutive wins at thus championships and multiple runner-ups.

any thoughts on the too often forgotten Mallory. Imagine what that career might have looked like had it not been buried under the limelight of Wills and Lenglen. Worse luck that trying to get oxigen under Evert and Navratilova. thoughts, Mallory stories anyone.

[BTURNER]

More on the greatest champion who heralded from Norway:
http://www.all-about-tennis.com/molla-mallory.html

Molla Mallory won the singles title at the U.S. Championships a record eight times (1915-1922 and 1926 at age 42), and in 15 years at the tournament, her worst finish was a quarterfinal loss in 1927 at age 43.

Mallory yielded her string of consecutive titles to Helen Wills Moody in 1923, losing 6–2, 6–1. In 1926, Mallory hit one of the heights of her career when she came back from 0–4 in the third set of the final against Elizabeth Ryan, saving a match point in winning her eighth championship. She is the only woman other than Chris Evert to win the U.S. Championships four consecutive times.

Molla Mallory was ranked in the world top ten in 1925, 1926, and 1927 (the first three years of those rankings). She was ranked in the U.S. top ten 13 times between 1915 and 1928 and was top ranked in 1915, 1916, 1918 through 1922, and 1926.

Her farewell to the U.S. Championships was as a 45-year-old semifinalist in 1929.

Molla Mallory was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1958.

[BTURNER]

This thread is rolling with interest. I can't keep up!

[BTURNER]

89 people read it. If I asserted that in fact Molla was Andre Agassi's great great grandmother, it might deserve a response.

[pc1]

Mallory was a fantastic player and her victory over Lenglen at the US Championships was a great feat but Lenglen was ill and was not totally recovered for the long boat trip. Impressive but I would think Lenglen, if she was given a chance to recover would have defeated Mallory fairly easily.

[pc1]

BTURNER,

I actually find that era fascinating in Women's Tennis. Within a few years you had two of the most dominant players in the history of women's tennis. Lenglen who barely lost any games and Wills who didn't lose a set for years.

There's an excellent book on the Lenglen-Wills match called "The Goddess and the American Girl." It's a pity they never played again.

[BTURNER]

You do have to wonder how well Mallory would have done after coming after Wills, or any other era.
yes she was pc1, - Andre's great great grandmother. As for the era

[pc1]

Originally Posted by BTURNER

You do have to wonder how well Mallory would have done after coming after Wills, or any other era.
yes she was pc1, - Andre's great great grandmother. As for the era

I don't recall if I've seen any video of Mallory so I can't really say if I think she would have done well in later eras. I have seen enough of Lenglen and Wills to think that given equipment of today and with the modern training techniques, that they would do nicely. Who knows, even without the modern training techniques, that given the chance to practice with the new equipment that they may have done very well anyway.

If a smallish player like Henin at a bit over 5'5" would do well today I think the two legends, Lenglen and Wills could do very well also. All debatable but fun to think of.