June 13, 1890 – An American won the US National Championship Women’s Tennis at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Ellen Crosby Roosevelt defeated the defending champion Bertha Townsend 6-2, 6-2. Miss Roosevelt was the daughter of John Aspinwall Roosevelt, an estate proprietor, and Ellen Murray Crosby.
She started playing tennis with her sister Grace eleven years earlier when her father installed a tennis court at their mansion ‘Rosedale’. She also won the doubles title with her sister Grace in 1890. They were the first pair of sisters to win the U.S.
Championships and remained the only pair to do so until the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena matched their achievement in 1999. She won the mixed doubles title at the 1893 U.S. Championships, partnering with Oliver Campbell. Ellen Roosevelt was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1975.
Ellen Crosby was the first cousin of the future President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. FDR was about 8 years old when Ellen won this US Tennis Title.
To find more great daily sports history make sure to check out the Sports Jersey Dispatch and Pigskin Dispatch.
More From Sports History Network
Two Safeties From The Miami Dolphins “No Name Defense”
During the first half of the 1970s, the Miami Dolphins had a couple of
Century For Stripes: From Billy Jeffrey to Fraser Kershaw
In the chronicles of American soccer history, one name stands out as a symbol
1970s Baltimore Colts (An Up and Down Decade)
The 1970s was an up-and-down decade for the Baltimore Colts. After a disappointing 8–5–1
Harlon Hill: From Florence State to the NFL
Stories about unknown or undrafted collegiate players making it big in the NFL, are
A Decade of Dominance and Drama: The West From 2010 – 2020
If you are looking for a division that is a microcosm of football’s high-intensity
Early Rule Changes In Basketball (The First 50 Years)
Let us take a trip to the past to look at some of the
The Most Lopsided Blowout In College Football History
Every year in college football there is a game where one team finds out
Relive My First Super Bowl Experience With Me (Super Bowl IV)
The first Super Bowl I can remember watching was Super Bowl IV. I was