The 1891 Women's Tennis Season was a worldwide tennis circuit composed of 80 major, national, regional, provincial, state, county, metropolitan, city and regular tournaments.
The season began in January in Christchurch, New Zealand, and ended in December, in Napier, New Zealand.
Season summary The season began in late December 1890 in Christchurch, New Zealand with the New Zealand Championships that ended on 2 January 1891.
At the first major tournament of the season the Irish Championships held in late May in Dublin, Ireland the women's singles event was won by Louisa Martin who defeated compatriot Florence Stanuell, in three sets.
The second major tournament of the season that concluded on 20 June, was the Northern Championships held in Manchester, England the singles event is won by Irish player Florence Stanuell marking her second consecutive major final appearance won the event by English player Mary Steedman conceding a walkover in the challenge round.
Moving across the Atlantic to the United States where the third major tournament of year the 1891 U.S. National Championships held at the end of June in Philadelphia, the women's singles title went to Irelands Mabel Cahill who beat the American player Ellen Roosevelt in four sets.
At the final and fourth major event the 1891 Wimbledon Championships early July, the women's singles title was won by Lottie Dod against her regular adversary Blanche Hillyard in straight sets.
The season ended in late December 1891 with a second edition of the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association Championships being staged in Napier, New Zealand.
Season results Key Major events National events Professional events Worldwide events
January EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist2 Jan.New Zealand ChampionshipsChristchurch, New ZealandGrass Isabel Rees6-3, 4–6, 6-5Lyttelton Times via British Newspaper Archive. 2 January 1891. p. 6. E. Gordon 20 Jan.Hôtel Prince of Wales Ladies Cup Cannes, FranceClay Cordelia Grantdef. Louise Roux 25 Jan.Southern India Championships Madras, IndiaClay Mrs Fortune 6-4, 4–6, 6-0 Mrs B. Foote
February EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist14 Feb.Linwood Closed Ladies Tournament Christchurch II, New ZealandGrass Mrs W. J. Blyth6-2, 6-2 Miss Simpson
March EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist7 Mar.Berea Ladies Open Durban, South AfricaClay Mabel Grant 6-0, 6-0 Miss McNeil 7 Mar.Los Angeles TC Open Los Angeles, United StatesCement F. Halsted def. Fannie Shoemaker 14 Mar.South Australian Championships Adelaide, AustraliaCement Emily Hodge11-6 games Marion Hodge 15 Mar.Otago LTA Tournament Dunedin, New ZealandGrass Ruth Orbell 8-5 games G. Rattray 18 Mar.Ceylon ChampionshipsNuwara Eliya, CeylonClay Annette de Fonblanque4-6, 13–11, 6-2 N. de Saram 18 Mar.Auckland Championships Auckland, New ZealandGrass Miss Mowbry 7-5, 7-5 Miss Spiers 28 Mar.Linwood Open Christchurch III, New ZealandGrass Miss Griffith 6-4, 4–6, 6-5 E. van Asch 28 Mar.South African ChampionshipsPort Elizabeth, South AfricaClay Mabel Grant (2)6-0, 6-2 Miss Blackburn
April EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist11 April.British Covered Court ChampionshipsWest Kensington, Great BritainWood (i) Maud Shackle7-5, 6-3 May Jacks
May EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist2 May.Singapore LLTC Spring OpenSingapore, Colony of SingaporeGrass Miss Wood6-0, 6-3 M. Keasberry 16 May.New South Wales ChampionshipsSydney, AustraliaSurface S. Dransfield3-6, 6–1, 6-3 L. Blaxland 28 May.Lenox TC Ladies InvitationHarlem, United StatesGrass Miss Beyea4-6, 6–1, 6-3 Miss Underhill 30 May.Irish ChampionshipsDublin, IrelandGrass Louisa Martin6-2, 5–7, 6-0 Florence Stanuell
June EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist1 Jun.5th Av. TC Ladies Spring Tournament Manhattan, United StatesGrass Kittie Millette6-4, 6-3 Miss Corey 6 Jun.Whitehouse OpenEdinburgh II, Great BritainClay Lottie Paterson7-5, 6-2 Jane Corder 7 Jun.West of England Championships Bath, Great BritainGrass Nora Pope 6-0, 7-5 Mary Agg 11 Jun.Harvard Annex Ladies Tournament Cambridge, MA, United StatesGrass Miss Whittlesey6-4, 6-2 Miss Carrett 12 Jun.Welsh ChampionshipsCardiff, Great BritainGrass Nora Pope (2)6-0, 7-5 Mary Agg 12 Jun.Orange Spring OpenMontrose, NJ, United StatesGrass Mabel Cahill7-5, 7-5 Emma Fellowes-Morgan 12 Jun.Scottish ChampionshipsEdinburgh, Great BritainGrass Helen Jackson6-0, 6-1 Jane Corder 13 Jun.Cheltenham OpenCheltenham II, Great BritainGrass Maud Shackle (2)6-2, 6-1 G Leeds-Paine 13 Jun.Gloucestershire Chronicle via British Newspaper Archive. 20 June 1891. p. 2.Cheltenham ChampionshipsCheltenham, Great BritainGrass Nora Pope (3)6-2, 6-2 Florence Mardall 20 Jun.Kent ChampionshipsBeckenham, Great BritainGrass Maud Shackle (3)6-4, 6-0 May Jacks 20 June.Northern ChampionshipsManchester, Great BritainGrass Florence Stanuellwalkover Mary Steedman 24 Jun.Championship of NebraskaHastings, United StatesGrass Louise Pound won finalist ? 27 Jun.Headingley OpenHeadingley II, Great BritainGrass Helen Jackson (2)6-1, 7-5 Beatrice Wood 27 June.Kent County ChampionshipsBlackheath, Great BritainGrass Mary Hutchinson 6-2, 3–6, 10-8 Amy Wilson 27 Jun.Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 454–483. ISBN 978-0942257700.U.S. National Championships Philadelphia, United StatesSurface Mabel Cahill (2)6-4, 6–1, 4–6, 6-3 Ellen Roosevelt
July EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist3 Jul.Bayview Open Bayonne, United StatesClay H. Ogden6-2, 4–6, 6-3 Miss Dally 4 Jul.Yorkshire Association & County OpenHeadingley, Great BritainGrass Helen Jackson (3)6-4, 4–6, 6-3 Beatrice Wood 9 Jul.Wimbledon ChampionshipsWimbledon, Great BritainGrass Lottie Dod6-2, 6-1 Blanche Hillyard 11 Jul.Capitol Hill Tournament Washington DC, United StatesGrass Miss Ward6-8 7-5 postponed. M. Hall 18 Jul.London Championships West Kensington II, Great BritainGrass Maud Shackle (4)6-2, 4–6, 6-3 May Jacks 18 Jul.Nottinghamshire LTA TournamentNottingham, Great BritainGrass M. Evans4-6, 6–2, 6-2 Nora Pope 18 Jul.New York State ChampionshipsSaratoga Springs, United StatesGrass Annie Ritchie6-3, 6-0 Miss Ingram 18 Jul.Hull Westbourne Av. Open Hull, Great BritainGrass C. Crosbydefault G. Harrison 18 Jul.Ealing ChampionshipsEaling, Great BritainGrass Charlotte Cooperdef. Alice Brown 21 Jul.Natal ChampionshipsPietermaritzburg, NatalClay Mabel Grant (3)6-1, 6-0 L. Button 24 Jul.Queen's CupWest Kensington III, Great BritainGrass Maud Shackle (5)2-6, 6–2, 6-0 Ruth Legh 25 Jul.Middlesex ChampionshipsChiswick Park, Great BritainSurface Maud Shackle (6)walkover Mary Steedman Vane 25 Jul.Edgbaston OpenEdgbaston,II Great BritainSurface Alice Pickering6-1, 6-3 Miss Wills 25 Jul.Warwickshire ChampionshipsLeamington Spa, Great BritainGrass Nora Pope (4)6-1, 6-4 E. Wheildon
August EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist1 Aug.Northumberland ChampionshipsNewcastle, Great BritainGrass Helen Jackson (4)6-2, 6-4 Florence Thompson 5 Aug.Scheveningen InternationalScheveningen, NetherlandsClay E. van Aken 6-1, 6-3 Miss Van Sittert 6 Aug.Colchester ChampionshipColchester, Great BritainGrass Agnes Morton6-2, 6-1 Winifred Kersey 8 Aug.Isle of Man ChampionshipsDouglas, Isle of ManGrass Nelly Darrah7-5, 9-7 Lilla Ferrier 8 Aug.Exmouth OpenExmouth, Great BritainGrass Edith Austin6-3, 9-7 Lilian Pine-Coffin 8 Aug.Sheffield & Hallamshire TournamentSheffield, Great BritainGrass Beatrice Wood6-3, 6-3 Agnes Watts 8 Aug.West of Scotland ChampionshipsInverkip, Great Britain Grass Miss Moir6-4, 6-1 Ruth Templeton 11 Aug.Transvaal ChampionshipsJohannesburg, South AfricaClay Mabel Grant (4)6-1, 6-0 Miss Marais 13 Aug.Derbyshire ChampionshipsBuxton, Great BritainSurface May Marriott6-2, 6-2 Beatrice Wood 15 Aug.Teignmouth OpenTeignmouth, Great BritainSurface Violet Pinckney3-6,7-5, 6-4 Lilian Pine-Coffin 15 Aug.Championship of the CoastRedondo Beach, United StatesAsphalt F. Gilliland6-3, 0–6, 6-3 Fannie Shoemaker 15.Aug.Eastern Counties ChampionshipsFelixstowe, Great BritainGrass Winifred Kersey6-4, 6-2 Constance Tidbury 17.AugSouth of Scotland ChampionshipsMoffat, Great BritainGrass Jane Corder6-4, 6-1 Evelyn Blencowe 20 Aug.Saxmundham OpenSaxmundham, Great BritainGrass Winifred Kersey (2)6-2, 4–6, 6-2 May Carter 21 Aug.Maritime Provinces ChampionshipsSt John, CanadaClay Miss MacLaren 6-2, 6-3 Mrs McCleod 22.Aug.East of Scotland ChampionshipsSt Andrews, Great BritainGrass Jane Corder (2)6-4, 4–6, 6-4 Miss Moir 22 Aug.Queensland ChampionshipsBrisbane, AustraliaGrass Miss Lee7-5, 6-2 May Quinnell 22 Aug.North of England ChampionshipsScarborough, Great BritainGrass Helen Jackson (5)6-3, 6-1 Nora Pope 24 Aug.British Columbia ChampionshipsVictoria, CanadaGrass Florence Barkley3-6, 6–4, 6-4 Anastasia Musgrave 25 Aug.Dieppe International ChampionshipDieppe, FranceClay Constance Bryantdef. Miss Zoerb 29 Aug.Aldeburgh Open Aldeburgh, Great BritainGrass May Lowther6-4, 0–6, 6-4 May Carter 29 Aug.Bournemouth OpenBournemouth, Great BritainGrass Violet Pinckney (2)default Elsie Pinckney 30 Aug.Netherlands National ChampionshipsScheveningen, NetherlandsClay E. van Aken (2)6-3, 6-1 Mej. M. Bol 30 Aug.Manitoba & Northwestern ChampionshipsWinnipeg, CanadaGrass Miss Burch6-2, 6-3 K. Beckett 30 Aug.San Diego Ladies TournamentSan Diego, United StatesAsphalt Belle Stewartdef. Imogene Ludlow
September EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist4 Sep.Sussex ChampionshipsBrighton, Great BritainGrass Maud Shackle (7)6-4, 5–7, 6-2 May Langrishe 12 Sep.Pacific Coast ChampionshipsSan Rafael, United StatesAsphalt Bertha Crouchwalkover Maud Wilkinson 12 Sep.South of England ChampionshipsEastbourne, Great BritainGrass Blanche Hillyard2-6, 7–5, 6-0 May Langrishe 18 Sep.Philadelphia & District ChampionshipsWest Philadelphia, United StatesGrass Mabel Cahill (3)def. finalist 18 Sep.Staten Island Ladies Club OpenLivingston, United StatesGrass Annie Burdette6-1, 6-1 Grace Roosevelt 19 Sep.Boulogne International ChampionshipBoulogne-sur-Mer, FranceClay May Arbuthnot 6-3, 7–9, 6-3 Constance Smith 24 Sep.Orange Fall OpenMontrose II, United StatesGrass Fannie Campbell6-4, 4–6, 6-3 Lilly Campbell
October No events
November EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist14 Nov.Victorian ChampionshipsMelbourne, AustraliaAsphalt Ellen Mayne6-5, 6-4 Phenie Shaw 20 Nov.Singapore LLTC Autumn OpenSingapore II, Straits SettlementGrass Mrs Salzmann6-1, 6-4 Mrs Chaytor
December EndedTournamentWinnerFinalistSemifinalistQuarterfinalist31 Dec.New Zealand Championships(2nd Ed)Napier, New ZealandGrass Nina Douslin3-6, 6–2, 7-5 Constance Abraham
Season statistics Total Tournaments (80) Most Major titles: 4 players each won (1) Most Major finals: Florence Stanuell (2) Most titles: Maud Shackle (7) Most finals:Maud Shackle (7)
See also 1891 men's tennis season
References