Thelma Coyne Long

Thelma Dorothy Coyne Long (née Coyne; 14 October 1918 – 13 April 2015) was an Australian tennis player and one of the female players who dominated Australian tennis from the mid-1930s to the 1950s. During her career, she won 19 Grand Slam tournament titles. In 2013, Long was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.^[2]

Thelma Coyne Long

Long in 1932
Full name	Thelma Dorothy Coyne Long
Country (sports)	Australia
Born	(1918-10-14)14 October 1918 Sydney, Australia
Died	13 April 2015(2015-04-13) (aged 96) Sydney, Australia
Plays	Right-handed
Int. Tennis HoF	2013 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 7 (1952, Lance Tingay)[1]
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1952, 1954)
French Open	QF (1951)
Wimbledon	QF (1952)
US Open	QF (1952)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	W (1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1956, 1958)
French Open	F (1958)
Wimbledon	F (1957)
US Open	SF (1958)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Australian Open	W (1951, 1952, 1954, 1955)
French Open	W (1956)
Wimbledon	F (1952)
US Open	F (1938, 1952)

Tennis career

Thelma Coyne packing for her overseas tour in 1938 as a member of the Australian Women's Tennis Team.

At the Australian Championships, Long won singles titles in 1952 and 1954 and was a singles finalist in 1940, 1951, 1955 and 1956.^[3] In women's doubles, she won 10 titles with Nancye Wynne Bolton (1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951 and 1952) and two titles with Mary Bevis Hawton (1956 and 1958). Long was a women's doubles finalist with Bolton in 1946 and 1950. She won mixed doubles titles in 1951, 1952 and 1955 with George Worthington and in 1954 with Rex Hartwig. She was a mixed doubles finalist in 1948 with Bill Sidwell.

At Wimbledon, Long was a women's doubles finalist in 1957 with Hawton and a mixed doubles finalist in 1952 with Enrique Morea. At the age of 52, Long teamed with Lorraine Coghlan to lose in the first round of women's doubles at Wimbledon in 1971.

At the French Championships, Long was a women's doubles finalist in 1958 with Hawton, won the mixed doubles title in 1956 with Luis Ayala, and was a mixed doubles finalist in 1951 with Mervyn Rose.

At the 1953 tournament in Cincinnati, Long won the singles title (defeating Anita Kanter 7–5, 6–2 in the final) and the women's doubles title with Kanter.

According to Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Long was ranked in the world top 10 in 1952 and 1954 (no rankings issued from 1940 to 1945), reaching a career high of World No. 7 in these rankings in 1952.^[1]

Long became a teaching professional in 1960 and spent many years coaching junior players in New South Wales. In 1985, her achievements were recognised by Tennis NSW when she was awarded Life Membership of the State Association.

Honours and awards

On 30 August 2000, Long was awarded the Australian Sports Medal. She was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Melbourne Park during the Australian Open on Australia Day in 2002. In 2013, she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.^[4]

Personal life

She was born in Sydney, Australia on 14 October 1918, the only child of Tom and Dorrie Coyne and was schooled at the Sydney Girls High School.^[5]

Captain Thelma Long (left) with Lt Benporath, in Victoria, 1944

On 30 January 1941, she married Maurice Newton Long of Melbourne.^[6] The marriage did not continue after the end of the Second World War.

In May 1941, during the Second World War, Long joined the Red Cross as a transport driver and worked in Melbourne. On 19 February 1942, she joined the Australian Women's Army Service (AWAS) and rose to the rank of captain in April 1944.^[7] For her service in the AWAS, she was awarded the War Medal 1939–1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939–1945.

Long worked as a volunteer at the State Library of New South Wales, and she received the Volunteer Service Award in 1999.

Coyne died on 13 April 2015 at the age of 96.^[8][5]

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: 6 (2 wins, 4 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1940	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	7–5, 4–6, 0–6
Loss	1951	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	1–6, 5–7
Win	1952	Australian Championships	Grass	Helen Angwin	6–2, 6–3
Win	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Jenny Staley Hoad	6–3, 6–4
Loss	1955	Australian Championships	Grass	Beryl Penrose	4–6, 3–6
Loss	1956	Australian Championships	Grass	Mary Carter	6–3, 2–6, 7–9

Doubles: 16 (12 wins, 4 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1936	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	May Blik Katherine Woodward	6–2, 6–4
Win	1937	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Nell Hall Hopman Emily Hood Westacott	6–2, 6–2
Win	1938	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Dorothy Bundy Cheney Dorothy Workman	9–7, 6–4
Win	1939	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	May Hardcastle Nell Hall Hopman	7–5, 6–4
Win	1940	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Joan Hartigan Emily Niemayer	7–5, 6–2
Loss	1946	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Joyce Fitch Mary Bevis Hawton	7–9, 4–6
Win	1947	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Joyce Fitch Mary Bevis Hawton	6–3, 6–3
Win	1948	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Pat Jones Mary Bevis Hawton	6–3, 6–3
Win	1949	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Doris Hart Marie Toomey	6–0, 6–1
Loss	1950	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Louise Brough Doris Hart	2–6, 6–2, 3–6
Win	1951	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Joyce Fitch Mary Bevis Hawton	6–2, 6–1
Win	1952	Australian Championships	Grass	Nancye Wynne Bolton	Allison Burton Baker Mary Bevis Hawton	6–1, 6–1
Win	1956	Australian Championships	Grass	Mary Hawton	Mary Carter Reitano Beryl Penrose	6–2, 5–7, 9–7
Loss	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Mary Hawton	Althea Gibson Darlene Hard	1–6, 2–6
Win	1958	Australian Championships	Grass	Mary Hawton	Lorraine Coghlan Angela Mortimer	7–5, 6–8, 6–2
Loss	1958	French Championships	Clay	Mary Hawton	Yola Ramírez Rosie Reyes	4–6, 5–7

Mixed doubles (5 wins, 3 losses)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1938	U.S. Championships	Grass	John Bromwich	Alice Marble Don Budge	1–6, 2–6
Win	1951	Australian Championships	Grass	George Worthington	Clare Proctor Jack May	6–4, 3–6, 6–2
Win	1952	Australian Championships	Grass	George Worthington	Gwen Thiele Tom Warhurst	9–7, 7–5
Loss	1952	Wimbledon	Grass	Enrique Morea	Doris Hart Frank Sedgman	6–4, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	1952	U.S. Championships	Grass	Lew Hoad	Doris Hart Frank Sedgman	3–6, 5–7
Win	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Rex Hartwig	Beryl Penrose John Bromwich	4–6, 6–1, 6–2
Win	1955	Australian Championships	Grass	George Worthington	Jenny Staley Lew Hoad	6–2, 6–1
Win	1956	French Championships	Clay	Luis Ayala	Doris Hart Bob Howe	4–6, 6–4, 6–1

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Thelma Coyne (l) and Nancye Wynne Bolton (r) in Adelaide (1938)

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

DNQ

A

NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

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

Tournament	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941 – 1944	1945	19461	19471	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	SR	W–L	Win %
Australian Championships	1R	SF	SF	QF	SF	F	NH	NH	QF	SF	2R2	SF	QF	F	W	A	W	F	F	A	2R	1R	2 / 18	46–14	76.7
French Championships	A	A	A	2R	A	NH	R	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	A	A	A	3R	A	3R	A	0 / 4	7–3	70.0
Wimbledon	A	A	A	3R	A	NH	NH	NH	A	A	A	4R	3R	1R3	QF	A	A	A	1R	1R	4R	A	0 / 8	13–7	65.0
U.S. Championships	A	A	A	3R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	3R	A	A	A	A	2R	A	0 / 4	8–4	66.7
Win–loss	0–1	2–1	3–1	6–3	3–1	3–1			2–1	3–1	0–0	6–2	4–2	7–2	11–2	2–1	5–0	4–1	6–3	0–1	7–3	0–1	2 / 34	74–28	72.5

¹ In 1946 and 1947, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.
^2,3 Coyne did not play. Her opponent got a walkover.

See also

• Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final

References

1. Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 702. ISBN 978-0-942257-41-0.
2. "Thelma Coyne Long inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame". ITF Tennis. 26 January 2013.
3. "Thelma Long, 17 Tries, now Champ". Sunday Mail. Brisbane. 27 January 1952. p. 13 – via National Library of Australia.
4. "Hall of Famers – Thelma Coyne Long". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
5. "Tennis great Thelma Coyne Long's lengthy career included 19 Grand Slams". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 2015.
6. "Miss Thelma Coyne Married". Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners' Advocate. 31 January 1941. p. 5 – via National Library of Australia.
7. "Australian Tennis Star Is Now A.W.A.S. Lieut". The Courier-Mail. Brisbane. 12 September 1942. p. 3 – via National Library of Australia.
8. "Thelma Long". The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 April 2015.

External links

• Australian Women – biographical entry
• Thelma Coyne Long at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Thelma Coyne Long at Tennis Australia