Maureen Connolly biography
Maureen Connolly, in full Maureen Catherine Connolly, byname Little Mo, (born September 17, 1934, San Diego, California, U.S.—died June 21, 1969, Dallas, Texas), American tennis participant who in 1953 grew to become the primary girl to win the Grand Slam of tennis: the British (Wimbledon), United States, Australian, and French singles championships.
Connolly started enjoying tennis on the age of 10. After a couple of months of coaching below knowledgeable trainer, she entered her first event and in 1947 received the woman’s 15-and-under title within the Southern California Invitational. By the time she was 15 she had received greater than 50 championships. In 1949 she grew to become the youngest woman ever to win the nationwide junior championship, and she or he efficiently defended the title the next yr.
In 1951, her second yr in ladies’s division play, Connolly received eight main tournaments and helped the U.S. Wightman Cup crew to victory. In September of that yr she received the ladies’s singles on the U.S. Open championship at Forest Hills in New York City. Dubbed “Little Mo” by an affectionate press, Connolly was deceptively slight and interesting off court docket, however in motion she displayed superior energy in her drives and a distractingly expressionless face. In 1952 she retained her U.S. title and received the distinguished Wimbledon (All-England) championship. The subsequent yr she grew to become the primary girl to win a tennis Grand Slam.
In 1954 she received her third Wimbledon title and second French title. Later that yr she suffered a crushed leg in a horseback driving accident and by no means once more entered event play. She labored subsequently as a tennis teacher. In 1968 she was elected to the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame.