Mary Hawton

Mary Hawton

Country (sports)	Australia
Born	4 September 1924 Sydney, Australia
Died	18 January 1981 (aged 56) Sydney, Australia
Plays	Right-handed
Singles
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	SF (1948, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1959)
French Open	4R (1960, 1962)
Wimbledon	4R (1958)
US Open	QF (1957)
Doubles
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1946, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958)
French Open	F (1958)
Wimbledon	F (1957)
US Open	SF (1957, 1958, 1960)
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1958)
French Open	QF (1960, 1962)
Wimbledon	3R (1957, 1960)
US Open	2R (1957)

Mary Renetta Hawton, née Bevis,(4 September 1924 – 18 January 1981) is an Australian former tennis player. Her career spanned the end of the 1940s and the 1950s.

Hawton won the women's doubles title at the Australian Championships five times.^[1][2] In 1958 she also won the mixed doubles title together with compatriot Robert Howe.^[3]

In May 1946 she was engaged with Keith Ernest Hawton and the pair married in October 1948.^[4][5]

She was captain of the Australian Fed Cup team in 1979 and 1980 and director of the NSW Tennis Association.

In 1979 Hawton published a book titles How to Play Winning Tennis.^[6] She died on 18 January 1981 in Sydney, Australia.^[7]

The Mary Hawton Trophy, the prize for the winner of the 14s Australian Teams Championships for girls, was named after her.^[8]

Career

A career that spanned twenty years, Mary Hawton found much success in Australia at the Australian Championships. She made it to the last four in singles six times in 1948, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956 and 1959. Hawton was even more successful in doubles reaching an astounding 12 finals in Australia, eight of those being consecutive. She also reached the doubles finals at the Wimbledon and French Championships in 1957 and 1958 with Australian legend, Thelma Coyne Long. Mary Bevis Hawton would end her prolific career with 6 Grand Slam titles: 5 in women's doubles and 1 in mixed doubles.

Grand Slam finals

Doubles: 14 (5–9)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Winner	1946	Australian Championships	Grass	Joyce Fitch	Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long	9–7, 6–4
Runner-up	1947	Australian Championships	Grass	Joyce Fitch	Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long	3–6, 3–6
Runner-up	1948	Australian Championships	Grass	Pat Jones	Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long	3–6, 3–6
Runner-up	1951	Australian Championships	Grass	Joyce Fitch	Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long	2–6, 1–6
Runner-up	1952	Australian Championships	Grass	Allison Burton	Nancye Wynne Bolton Thelma Coyne Long	1–6, 1–6
Runner-up	1953	Australian Championships	Grass	Beryl Penrose	Maureen Connolly Julia Sampson Hayward	4–6, 2–6
Winner	1954	Australian Championships	Grass	Beryl Penrose	Hazel Redick-Smith Julia Wipplinger	6–3, 8–6
Winner	1955	Australian Championships	Grass	Beryl Penrose	Nell Hall Hopman Gwen Thiele	7–5, 6–1
Winner	1956	Australian Championships	Grass	Thelma Coyne Long	Mary Carter Reitano Beryl Penrose	6–2, 5–7, 9–7
Runner-up	1957	Australian Championships	Grass	Fay Muller	Shirley Fry Althea Gibson	2–6, 1–6
Runner-up	1957	Wimbledon	Grass	Thelma Coyne Long	Althea Gibson Darlene Hard	1–6, 2–6
Winner	1958	Australian Championships	Grass	Thelma Coyne Long	Lorraine Coghlan Angela Mortimer	7–5, 6–8, 6–2
Runner-up	1958	French Championships	Clay	Thelma Coyne Long	Yola Ramírez Rosie Reyes	4–6, 5–7
Runner-up	1961	Australian Championships	Grass	Jan Lehane	Mary Carter Reitano Margaret Smith	4–6, 6–3, 5–7

Mixed doubles: 2 (1–1)

Outcome	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Runner-up	1956	Australian Championships	Grass	Roy Emerson	Beryl Penrose Neale Fraser	2–6, 4–6
Winner	1958	Australian Championships	Grass	Robert Howe	Angela Mortimer Peter Newman	9–11, 6–1, 6–2

Singles performance timeline

Tournament	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australia	2R	QF	SF	QF	QF	QF	SF	SF	SF	QF	SF	QF	QF	SF	QF	QF	3R	2R	2R	2R	38–20
France	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1R	3R	3R	A	4R	A	4R	A	A	A	7–5
Wimbledon	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	2R	4R	A	2R	A	2R	A	A	A	4–4
United States	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	QF	3R	A	2R	A	1R	A	A	A	6–3

Women's doubles performance timeline

Tournament	1946	1947	1948	1949	1950	1951	1952	1953	1954	1955	1956	1957	1958	1959	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	W–L
Grand Slam Tournaments
Australia	W	F	F	SF	SF	F	F	F	W	W	W	F	W	SF	SF	F	QF	QF	QF	2R	45–15
France	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	2R	QF	F	A	SF	A	2R	A	A	A	7–4
Wimbledon	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	F	SF	A	SF	A	2R	A	A	A	11–4
United States	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	SF	SF	A	SF	A	A	A	A	A	7–3

A = did not participate in the tournament.

References

1. "Australian Open players archive – Mary Beavis". Tennis Australia.
2. "Australian Open players archive – Mary Hawton". Tennis Australia.
3. "Australian Open Winners". TennisNow.com. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
4. "Tennis Champions Engaged.". The Sydney Morning Herald (National Library of Australia). 14 May 1946. p. 7.
5. "Gossip From Joan.". Wellington Times (NSW: National Library of Australia). 25 October 1948. p. 5.
6. "How to play winning tennis". Worldcat.
7. "In Brief Death of Tennis Pioneer.". The Canberra Times (National Library of Australia). 20 January 1981. p. 18.
8. "December Showdown" (PDF). Tennis Australia.

External links

• Mary Hawton at the Fed Cup