Maud Watson was an English

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 tennis player

Tennis

Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...

.

Born in Harrow, London

Harrow, London

Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...

, the daughter of a local vicar

Vicar

In the broadest sense, a vicar is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior . In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant...

, she began playing competitive tennis in 1881. Undefeated in tournament play, in 1884 the nineteen-year-old Watson won the first ever Ladies’ Singles title at Wimbledon. Playing in white corsets and petticoats, from a field of thirteen competitors she defeated her older sister Lillian Watson

Lillian Watson

----Lillian Watson was an English female tennis player. Her sister was Maud Watson. In 1884, she was defeated by Maud at the first Ladies’ Singles tournament's final at the Championships, Wimbledon. It was the first match between sisters in the history of Wimbledon.-References:...

 6–8 6–3 6–3 to claim the title.

Maud Watson repeated as the Wimbledon champion the following year, winning the final 6–1, 7–5 over Blanche Bingley

Blanche Bingley

Blanche Bingley was an English tennis player.Born in Greenford in the London Borough of Ealing, Blanche Bingley was a member of the "Ealing Lawn Tennis & Archery Club." In 1884, she competed in the first ever Wimbledon championships for women and two years later captured the first of her six...

. In 1886, Bingley turned the tables, defeating Watson 6–3 6–3 in the finals to take the title.

She lived near and is buried at St John the Bapist Parish church in Berkswell

Berkswell

Berkswell is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Solihull, county of West Midlands, England.- Geography:It is in the east of the borough, borders Coventry and is about west of Coventry city centre.- History and places of interest :...

, near Solihull

Solihull

Solihull is a town in the West Midlands of England with a population of 94,753. It is a part of the West Midlands conurbation and is located 9 miles southeast of Birmingham city centre...

 in Warwickshire

Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...

, UK. Her Father was the Parish Priest.

Grand Slam record

• Wimbledon
  • Singles champion: 1884, 1885
  • Singles finalist: 1886

Wins (2)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1884	Wimbledon	Lillian Watson Lillian Watson ----Lillian Watson was an English female tennis player. Her sister was Maud Watson. In 1884, she was defeated by Maud at the first Ladies’ Singles tournament's final at the Championships, Wimbledon. It was the first match between sisters in the history of Wimbledon.-References:...	6–8, 6–3, 6–3
1885	Wimbledon (2)	Blanche Bingley Hillyard	6–1, 7–5

Runner-up (1)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1886	Wimbledon	Blanche Bingley	6–3, 6–3