Anna McCune Harper

Anna McCune Harper (née Anna Virginia McCune, July 2, 1902 – June 14, 1999) was an American female tennis player. She won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1931 partnering George Lott. She was the runner-up in singles at the 1930 U.S. Championships, losing to Betty Nuthall. She also was the runner-up in women's doubles at the 1928, 1930, and 1932 U.S. Championships and in mixed doubles at the 1931 edition of those championships.

Anna McCune Harper
Full nameAnna Virginia McCune Harper
Country (sports) United States
Born(1902-07-02)July 2, 1902
Santa Barbara, USA
DiedJune 14, 1999(1999-06-14) (aged 96)
Moraga, USA
Retired1932
Singles
Grand Slam Singles results
Wimbledon4R (1931)
US OpenF (1930)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
US OpenF (1928, 1930)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
WimbledonW (1931)
US OpenF (1931)
Team competitions
Wightman CupW (1931, 1932)

Harper was ranked in the U.S. top ten five consecutive years from 1928 through 1932 and was top ranked in 1930.[1]

Biography

In 1924 she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley,[2] where she joined the sorority Sigma Kappa.[3] The following year, 1925, she married Lawrence Averell Harper, a history professor at Berkeley.[2][4] Throughout the following years, she was consistently ranked in the U.S. top ten players, including 1930 when she was ranked at the best player.[1]

In 1932, Harper was called home because of an illness in her family.[5] She then decided to give up tournament tennis for other tasks, including raising her three children,[4][5] but continued to follow the game and played for many years.

Harper served as National President of her sorority Sigma Kappa from 1939 to 1942.[3]

Harper was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.[5][6]

Circa 1983, she had arthroscopic knee surgery at age 81 so she could continue to play. An adverse reaction to a general anesthetic sidelined her for good and precipitated a long, slow decline in her health. Harper is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.

Grand Slam finals

Singles : 1 runner-up
Outcome Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Runner-up1930U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Betty Nuthall1–6, 4–6

Doubles : 2 runners-up
Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Runner-up1928U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Edith Cross Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
Helen Wills		2–6, 2–6
Runner-up1930U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Edith Cross Betty Nuthall
Sarah Palfrey Cooke		6–3, 3–6, 5–7

Mixed doubles : 1 title, 1 runner-up
Outcome Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Winner1931WimbledonGrass George Lott Joan Ridley
Ian Collins		6–3, 1–6, 6–1
Runner-up1931U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Wilmer Allison Betty Nuthall
George Lott		3–6, 3–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
Tournament19251926192719281929193019311932Career SR
Australian Championships A A A A A A A A 0 / 0
French Championships A A A A A A A A 0 / 0
Wimbledon 3R 1R A A A A 4R 1R 0 / 4
U.S. Championships A A A 3R 3R F QF QF 0 / 5
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 9

See also

References
  1. United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 260.
  2. Dwight Chapin (June 16, 1999). "Tennis pro, national star Anna McCune Harper". SF Gate.
  3. Becque, Fran (2013-11-09). "On Sigma Kappa's Birthday - a Wimbledon Champ Who Was National President". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
  4. "Lawrence Averell Harper, History: Berkeley". Calisphere.
  5. "Tennis". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 1999.
  6. "Anna McCune Harper". California Golden Bears.
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