Betty Nuthall

Betty May Nuthall Shoemaker (née Nuthall; 23 May 1911 – 8 November 1983) was an English tennis player. Known for her powerful forehand, according to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Nuthall was ranked in the world top ten in 1927, 1929 through 1931, and 1933, reaching a career high in those rankings of World No. 4 in 1929.[1] She won the mixed doubles championships at the French Open in 1931 with Pat Spence.

Betty Nuthall
Full nameElizabeth May Nuthall Shoemaker
Country (sports) United Kingdom
Born(1911-05-23)23 May 1911
Surbiton, England
Died8 November 1983(1983-11-08) (aged 72)
New York City, USA
PlaysRight-handed
Int. Tennis HoF1977 (member page)
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 4 (1929)
Grand Slam Singles results
French OpenF (1931)
Wimbledon4R (1933, 1937, 1938, 1946)
US OpenW (1930)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
French OpenW (1931)
US OpenW (1930, 1931, 1933)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
French OpenW (1931, 1932)
US OpenW (1929, 1931)
Team competitions
Wightman Cup(1928)

Career
Betty Nuthall in 1932

Nuthall's father taught her tennis. She won the junior championships of Great Britain in 1924 (aged 13), 1925 and 1926.

In 1927 at the age of 16, Nuthall tied Elisabeth Moore as the then-youngest women's singles finalist ever at the U. S. National Championships. Nuthall lost the final to Helen Wills in straight sets while serving under-handed.[2][3]

Also in 1927, Nuthall played on the British Wightman Cup team and defeated Helen Jacobs in her debut. In her mixed doubles matches, the final of the Nottingham Championships, she won with her partner Pat Spence.[4] She also represented Great Britain in the 1929 and 1931–34 Wightman Cup competitions.

In 1930, Nuthall became the first non-American since 1892 to win a women's singles title at the U. S. National Championships, defeating Anna McCune Harper in straight sets.[5] She was the last British female player to win the title until Virginia Wade won in 1968. In 1931, she reached the singles final of the French International Championships but lost in two sets to first-seeded Cilly Aussem. Also in 1930, she won the mixed doubles with her recurring partner Spence.[6] Nuthall and he went for the British Hard Court Championships in April and were only eliminated in the final,[7] while in May they won the mixed title at the French International Championships.[8]

At the U.S. Championships in 1933, Nuthall won a quarterfinal versus Alice Marble 6–8, 6–0, 7–5 after being down two breaks of serve at 1–5 in the final set. In the semifinal versus Moody, Nuthall won the first set 6–2 in just 12 minutes, which was the first set Wills had lost at this tournament since 1926. Moody, however, turned around the match and won the last two sets 6–3, 6–2 despite losing her serve twice in the second set. Nuthall never again reached the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam singles tournament.

Nuthall won women's doubles titles at the 1930, 1931, and 1933 U.S. Championships and at the 1931 French Championships. She won mixed doubles championships at the 1929 and 1931 U.S. Championships and at the 1931 and 1932 French Championships.

Nuthall was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1977.[2]

Personal life

She formed a real-life couple with her doubles partner Pat Spence,[9][10] with whom she went on to win the French Open mixed doubles tournament in 1931.[8] In 1954 she married Franklin Shoemaker, who died in 1982. On 8 November 1983 Nuthall died in New York of a coronary arrest.[11]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1927U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Helen Wills1–6, 4–6
Win1930U.S. ChampionshipsGrass Anna McCune Harper6–1, 6–4
Loss1931French ChampionshipsClay Cilly Aussem6–8, 1–6

Doubles (4 titles, 2 runners-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1927U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Joan Fry Kitty McKane
Ermyntrude Harvey		1–6, 6–4, 4–6
Win1930U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Sarah Palfrey Edith Cross
Anna McCune Harper		3–6, 6–3, 7–5
Win1931French ChampionshipsClay Eileen Bennett Whittingstall Cilly Aussem
Elizabeth Ryan		9–7, 6–2
Win1931U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Eileen Bennett Whittingstall Helen Jacobs
Dorothy Round		6–2, 6–4
Loss1932French ChampionshipsClay Eileen Bennett Whittingstall Elizabeth Ryan
Helen Wills		1–6, 3–6
Win1933U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass Freda James Elizabeth Ryan
Helen Wills		default

Mixed doubles (4 titles, 1 runner-up)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1929U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass George Lott Phyllis Covell
Bunny Austin		6–3, 6–3
Win1931French ChampionshipsClay Patrick Spence Dorothy Shepherd
Bunny Austin		6–3, 5–7, 6–3
Win1931U.S. National ChampionshipsGrass George Lott Anna McCune Harper
Wilmer Allison		6–3, 6–3
Win1932French ChampionshipsClay Fred Perry Helen Wills
Sidney Wood		6–4, 6–2
Loss1933French ChampionshipsGrass Fred Perry Margaret Scriven
Jack Crawford		2–6, 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)
Tournament1926192719281929193019311932193319341935193619371938193919401941 – 1944194519461Career SR
Australian Championships A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A NH NH A 0 / 0
French Championships A A 2R A A F SF SF 3R A A A A A NH R A A 0 / 5
Wimbledon 2R QF 1R 3R QF QF QF 4R 1R A 2R 4R 4R 1R NH NH NH 4R 0 / 14
U.S. Championships A F A QF W SF A SF 2R A A A A 3R A A A A 1 / 7
SR 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 1 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 2 0 / 3 0 / 3 0 / 0 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 0 0 / 1 1 / 26

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.

1In 1946, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

See also

References
  1. Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 701–2. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
  2. "Hall of Famers – Betty Nuthall Shoemaker". International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum.
  3. Allison Danzig (31 August 1927). "Miss Wills Regains U.S. Tennis Crown". The New York Times.
  4. "Mrs. Beamish does well at Nottingham". Kingston Gleaner. Kingston, Jamaica: Gleaner Company. XCIV (200): 34. 31 August 1928. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  5. "BETTY NUTHALL". The Advertiser. Adelaide, Australia. 26 August 1930. p. 9 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. Béla Kehrling, ed. (22 March 1930). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (pdf). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Bethlen Gábor Irod. és Nyomdai RT. II (6): 97. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  7. Béla Kehrling, ed. (15 May 1931). "Külföldi hírek" [International news] (PDF). Tennisz és Golf (in Hungarian). Budapest, Hungary: Egyesült Kő-, Könyvnyomda. Könyv- és Lapkiadó Rt. III (10): 186. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  8. John Grasso (2011). Historical Dictionary of Tennis. Lanham, Maryland, United States: Scarecrow Press. pp. 333, 357. ISBN 9780810872370. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  9. "Miss Nuthall and Dr. Spence". The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore: Mohammed Eunos: 12. 27 January 1930. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  10. "Betty Engaged? That's What England Hears" (pdf). Evening Leader. Corning, NY. Associated Press: 9. 25 January 1930.
  11. Thomas Rogers (10 November 1983). "Betty Nuthall, 72; British Tennis Star Captured U.S. Title". The New York Times.
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