Gwendolyne Reingale Sterry Simmers (1905–1987) was an English

tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

player who was active in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1922 she won the Junior Singles British Championship. She competed eight times in the singles event at

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, reaching the fourth round in 1931 which she lost to fourth-seeded Hilde Krahwinkel. Sterry lost in three sets to

Helen Wills Helen Newington Wills (October 6, 1905 – January 1, 1998), also known by her married names Helen Wills Moody and Helen Wills Roark, was an American tennis player. She won 31 Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam tournament titles (singles, doubles, ...

during the first round of the

1927 Wimbledon Championships The 1927 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 20 June until Saturday 2 July 1927. It was the 47th ...

and is one of only three players who were able to win a set against Wills during her eight-year reign as Wimbledon champion. She won the doubles title at the 1926

British Hard Court Championships The British Hard Court Championships was a Grand Prix tennis and WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament, played in the Open Era from 1968 to 1983 and again (albeit not named as such) from 1995 to 1999. History As an amateur tournament, the inaug ...

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignt ...

partnering

Betty Nuthall Betty May Nuthall Shoemaker (née Nuthall; 23 May 1911 – 8 November 1983) was an English tennis player. Known for her powerful forehand, according to Wallis Myers of ''The Daily Telegraph'' and the ''Daily Mail'', Nuthall was ranked in the wor ...

. With Kitty McKane Godfree she was runner-up in the doubles event in 1932 when the tournament was held in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

. That same year she won the singles title at the Surrey Championships. Sterry was part of the British team that lost the

Wightman Cup The Wightman Cup was an annual team tennis competition for women contested from 1923 through 1989 (except during World War II) between teams from the United States and Great Britain. History U.S. player Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman wanted to generat ...

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

to the United States but won her doubles match partnering Betty Hill.

Personal life

Sterry was the daughter of five-time Wimbledon champion Charlotte Cooper. She married the Scottish rugby international William Simmers on 9 July 1932 at

St Mark's Church, Surbiton St Mark's Church, Surbiton, is one of two Church of England parish churches in Surbiton, London - the other is St Andrew's Church, Surbiton, St Andrew's. It is dedicated to Mark the Evangelist, Saint Mark, and is situated near the top of St Mark's ...

. She died in 1987, aged 82. Her death was registered in Helensburgh, Scotland.

References

External links

*
Wimbledon Singles record
1905 births English female tennis players British female tennis players Year of death missing Place of birth missing Tennis players from Surrey 20th-century English sportswomen {{UK-tennis-bio-stub