Margaret Evelyn Osborne duPont
Born: March 04, 1918
Hometown: Joseph, Oregon, United States
Citizenship: United States
Handed: Right
Inducted: 1967
Grand Slam Record
French Singles 1946, 49
Doubles 1946-47, 49
Doubles finalist 1950
Wimbledon Singles 1947
Singles finalist 1949, 50
Doubles 1946, 48-50, 54
Doubles finalist 1947, 51, 58
Mixed 1962
Mixed finalist 1954
U.S. Singles 1948-50
Singles finalist 1944, 47
Doubles 1941-50, 55-57
Doubles finalist 1953, 54
Mixed 1943-46, 50, 56, 58-60
Mixed finalist 1948, 49, 54
Tournament Record
Wightman Cup 1946-50, 1954-55, 1957, 1961-62
One of the most cerebral players, Margaret Evelyn Osborne duPont was a collector of major championships topped only by Margaret Court (62), Martina Navratilova (56) and Billie Jean King (39). In two decades duPont accumulated 37 championships in singles, doubles and mixed, although never entering the Australian.
Peerless at doubles, she was the canny 5foot-51/2, 145-pound, right-court player, superbly complementing Louise Brough in the most successful team prior to Navratilova and Pam Shriver. Together they won a record 20 major titles: 12 U.S., 5 Wimbledon, 3 French, a mark tied by Navratilova and Shriver in 1989. She won the U.S. doubles first with Sarah Palfrey Fabyan (later Cooke) in 1941, and the next time with Brough in a record streak that ran from 1942 through 1950. Their record match-win streak of 41 ended in the 1951 final, a 6-2, 7-9, 9-7 defeat by Shirley Fry and Doris Hart. As a team in the U.S. Championships, Brough and duPont won 12 of the 14 times they entered and 58 of 60 matches. DuPont, a right-hander, was the playmaker, utilizing a devilish forehand chop and a variety of other spins that kept the ball low. She lobbed and volleyed excellently, and set up her volley with an effective serve.
Although 31 of her major titles were doubles and mixed doubles, she was just as tough in singles, winning the U .S. thrice in five visits to the final, Wimbledon one-for-three and the French two-for-two Her rivalry with Brough was as close as their friendship and partnership. They split two of the more spectacular finals at the two top championships Brough won the 1949 Wimbledon final, 10-8, 1-6, 10-8, and duPont the 1948 Forest Hills, ducking a match point, 4-6, 6-4, 15-13–48 games, the longest female final played there.
She won Forest Hills also in 1949 and 1950, Wimbledon in 1947 and the French in 1946 over Pauline Betz, 1-6, 8-6, 7-5, despite two match points, and in 1949. In the U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship she set a record by winning nine times: 1943 through 1946 with Bill Talbert; 1950 with Ken McGregor; 1956 with Ken Rosewall; and 1958 through 1960 with Neale Fraser. In the 1948 semifinal she and Talbert won the longest mixed doubles played until 1991, 71 games, over Gussy Moran and Bob Falkenburg, 27-25, 5-7, 6-1. Forty-three years later, Brenda Schultz and Michael Schapers exceeded that in a 77 game Wimbledon win over Andrea Temesvari and Tom Nijssen.
Born March 4, 1918, in Joseph, OR, Margaret grew up in San Francisco. She made her initial appearance in the U.S. Top Ten in 1938 at No, 7 and set a longevity record for U.S. females, ranking No. 5 two decades later at the age of 40 in 1958. Over the 20 years, she was ranked in the Top Ten 14 times, No. 1 1948-50. Between 1946 and 1957 she was in the World Top Ten nine times, No. 1 in 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1950.
She married William duPont in 1947 and later interrupted her career to give birth to a son, She was one of the few women to win a major title after childbirth.
Hers was one of the finest Wightman Cup records, In nine years of the British-U.S. series, she was unbeaten in 10 singles and nine doubles, and did not play on a losing side between 1946 and 1962. She also captained the U.S. team nine times, presiding over eight victories.
In 1967 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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