Maud Barger-Wallach (June 15, 1870 – April 2, 1954) was an American

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player of the early 1900s. She was the daughter of Samuel F. Barger, a lawyer and director of the New York Central Railroad, and Edna Jenie LaFavor. In June 1890 she married sportsman Richard Wallach. She only began playing tennis when she was about 30 years old. In 1908, Barger-Wallach became the oldest U.S. Open champion at the age of 38 (42-year-old

Molla Mallory Anna Margrethe "Molla" Bjurstedt Mallory (née Bjurstedt; 6 March 1884 – 22 November 1959) was a Norwegian tennis player, naturalized American. She won a record eight singles titles at the U.S. National Championships. She was the first woman ...

won in 1926, taking away her old-age record). At the age of 61 in 1931, she traveled overseas with the U.S. men's tennis contingent, and when

Sidney Wood Sidney Burr Wood Jr. (November 1, 1911 – January 10, 2009) was an American tennis player who won the 1931 Wimbledon singles title. Wood was ranked in the world's Top 10 five times between 1931 and 1938, and was ranked World No. 6 in 1931 and ...

of the U.S. won the Wimbledon Gentlemen's Singles over Frank Shields of the U.S. in the final, in a walkover because Shields was injured, Wood gave his trophy to Barger-Wallach to hold until the next time that he and Shields should play each other on grass (as at Wimbledon), telling her to give it to the winner. Wood finally met Shields in a tournament on grass at Queen's Club in London three years later, beating him, and Barger-Wallach then gave Wood's Wimbledon trophy to him. She was a right-handed baseline player with an accurate but soft forehand and a weak backhand which, if possible, she tried to run around. She had an unorthodox playing style characterized by an underhand serve, accurate placements as well as tennis intelligence and determination. Barger-Wallach was inducted in the

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

in 1958.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 3 (1 title, 2 runners-up)

Doubles: 1 runner-up

References

External links

*
Sportspundit.com profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barger-Wallach, Maud 1870 births 1954 deaths American female tennis players International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Sportspeople from New York City Tennis people from New York (state) United States National champions (tennis) Grand Slam (tennis) champions in women's singles