Esna Boyd

Esna Boyd

Full name	Esna Boyd Robertson
Country (sports)	Australia
Born	21 September 1899 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died	1966 Scotland
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 10 (1928, A. Wallis Myers)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	W (1927)
French Open	3R (1928)
Wimbledon	QF (1925)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1922, 1923, 1926, 1928)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1922, 1926, 1927)

Esna Boyd Robertson (21 September 1899 – 1966) was an Australian tennis player who reached seven consecutive women's singles finals at the Australian Championships from 1922 through 1928. She won one of those finals, defeating Sylvia Lance Harper in 1927. Robertson participated in the first women's singles final at the Australian Championships in 1922 against fellow Australian Margaret Molesworth.

According to Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Robertson was ranked World No. 10 in 1928.^[1]

Boyd was born in Melbourne on 21 September 1899, the daughter of James Boyd, a politician, and Emma Flora McCormack. She had a sister, Alva who became a medical practitioner.^[2] She married Angus Robertson on March 11, 1929 and they had a son, William, in 1930 and a daughter Mary, in 1933.^[3]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 7 (1 title, 7 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
Runner-up	1922	Australian Championships	Margaret Molesworth	3–6, 8–10
Runner-up	1923	Australian Championships	Margaret Molesworth	1–6, 5–7
Runner-up	1924	Australian Championships	Sylvia Lance Harper	3–6, 6–3, 6–8
Runner-up	1925	Australian Championships	Daphne Akhurst Cozens	6–1, 6–8, 4–6
Runner-up	1926	Australian Championships	Daphne Akhurst Cozens	1–6, 3–6
Winner	1927	Australian Championships	Sylvia Lance Harper	5–7, 6–1, 6–2
Runner-up	1928	Australian Championships	Daphne Akhurst Cozens	5–7, 2–6

Doubles: 6 (4 titles, 2 runners-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponents in final	Score in final
Winner	1922	Australian Championships	Marjorie Mountain	Gwen Utz Floris St. George	1–6, 6–4, 7–5
Winner	1923	Australian Championships	Sylvia Lance Harper	Margaret Molesworth Beryl Turner	6–1, 6–4
Runner-up	1925	Australian Championships	Kathleen Le Messurier	Daphne Akhurst Sylvia Lance Harper	4–6, 3–6
Winner	1926	Australian Championships	Meryl O'Hara Wood	Daphne Akhurst Marjorie Cox Crawford	6–3, 6–8, 8–6
Runner-up	1927	Australian Championships	Sylvia Lance Harper	Louise Bickerton Meryl O'Hara Wood	3–6, 3–6
Winner	1928	Australian Championships	Daphne Akhurst	Kathleen Le Messurier Dorothy Weston	6–3, 6–1

Mixed doubles: 5 (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

Result	Year	Tournament	Partner	Opponents in final	Score in final
Winner	1922	Australian Championships	John Hawkes	Gwen Utz Harold Utz	6–1, 6–1
Runner-up	1924	Australian Championships	Gar Hone	Daphne Akhurst Jim Willard	3–6, 4–6
Winner	1926	Australian Championships	John Hawkes	Daphne Akhurst Jim Willard	6–1, 6–4
Winner	1927	Australian Championships	John Hawkes	Youtha Anthony Jim Willard	6–1, 6–3
Runner-up	1928	Australian Championships	John Hawkes	Daphne Akhurst Jean Borotra	default

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	Career SR
Australian Championships	F	F	F	F	F	W	F	A	A	A	2R	A	A	1 / 8
French Championships^1	A	A	NH	A	A	A	3R	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 1
Wimbledon	A	A	A	QF	A	A	4R	A	4R	A	A	A	1R	0 / 4
United States Championships	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0
SR	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 2	0 / 1	1 / 1	1 / 3	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	1 / 13

NH = tournament not held.

A = did not participate in the tournament.

SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.

¹Through 1923, the French Championships were open only to French nationals. The World Hard Court Championships (WHCC), actually played on clay in Paris or Brussels, began in 1912 and were open to all nationalities. The results from the 1922 and 1923 editions of that tournament are shown here. The Olympics replaced the WHCC in 1924, as the Olympics were held in Paris. Beginning in 1925, the French Championships were open to all nationalities, with the results shown here beginning with that year.

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, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 701. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
2. "Boyd, James Arthur (1867–1941)". Australian Dictionary of Biography.
3. "TENNIS STAR'S WEDDED BLISS.". Sunday Times (Perth, WA : 1902 - 1954) (Perth, WA: National Library of Australia). 16 March 1930. p. 1 Section: First Section.