Pauline May Betz (Addie)
Born: August 06, 1919
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio, United States
Citizenship: United States
Handed: Right
Inducted: 1965
Grand Slam Record
Wimbledon Singles 1946
Doubles finalist 1946
U.S. Singles 1942-44, 1946
Singles finalist 1941, 45
Doubles finalist 1942-45
Mixed finalist 1941, 43
French Singles Finalist 1946
Doubles finalist 1946
Mixed 1946
Tournament Record
Wightman Cup 1946
Many believe Pauline May Betz Addie was the finest of the post-World War II players of the U.S., even though her career was cut short in her prime by a controversial ruling by the USTA. In 1947 she was declared a professional for merely exploring the possibilities of making a pro tour.
There was no pro tennis as such for women at the time, but she did make two tours of one-night stands against Sarah Palfrey Cooke in 1947, and Gussie Moran in 1951, dominating both opponents. Then she became a teaching professional and married sportswriter Bob Addie.
Born August 6, 1919, in Dayton, Ohio, she grew up in Los Angeles, and became noted for her extreme speed and mobility. Although she could get to the net quickly and volley with sureness, she preferred to run down balls and pass the netrushers, particularly with a penetrating backhand.
World War II deprived her of the chance for much international play, but she won Wimbledon the only time she entered, in 1946, without losing a set. Her closest start was the 6-2, 6-4 final with Louise Brough. In Betz’s only Wightman Cup series against Britain, in 1946, she helped the U.S. win by taking both her singles matches and her doubles.
Betz was first ranked in the U.S, Top Ten, at No. 8 in 1939, and stayed in that select group for seven more years, standing at No. 1 in 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1946, the years she won the U.S, Championship in singles at Forest Hills. She held the No. 1 world ranking in 1946.
She closed out her amateur career in 1946 by winning 8 of 12 tournaments, and her last 27 matches. That was the fourth of her most productive campaigns that netted seven titles in 1943, eight in 1944 and six in 1945. In 1943 she emphasized her superbly rounded game by making a U.S. triple, with Indoor and Clay Court singles titles preceding Forest Hills success. Beating Catherine Wolf, 6-0, 6-2, to win the Tri-State of 1943, Pauline relinquished no points in the first set. Top-seeded Louise Brough was the 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, victim in her first triumph at Forest Hills, but the semi was tougher, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, over Margaret Osborne (duPont), from match point down at 3-5.
Two other years, 1941 and 1945, she was runner-up to Sarah Palfrey Cooke, thus setting a Forest Hills record of six straight years in the final. In playing Forest Hills eight times, she won 33 of 37 matches.
She captured 19 U.S. titles on various surfaces, including the Clay Court singles in 1941 and 1943 and the Indoor singles in 1939, 1941, 1943 and 1947. Twice she scored triples at the Indoor Championships, winning the singles, doubles and mixed doubles in 1941 and 1943, a feat equaled only by Billie Jean King in 1966 and 1968.
Tennis historian Jerome Scheuer called her “the fastest woman on foot ever to play the game.” A charming grandmother, she continues to play in a club league, “trying to keep up with the kids.”
She was selected for the Hall of Fame in 1965.
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