Anna McCune Harper
{{Short description|American tennis player (1902–1999)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox tennis biography
|name = Anna McCune Harper
|image = Anna Harper in 1931.jpg
|caption = Harper in 1931
|fullname = Anna Virginia McCune Harper
|country = {{USA}}
|residence =
|birth_date = Anna Virginia McCune
{{birth date|1902|07|02}}
|birth_place = {{nowrap|Santa Barbara, California, U.S.}}
|death_date = {{death date and age|1999|06|14|1902|07|02}}
|death_place = Moraga, California, U.S.
|height =
|college =
|turnedpro =
|retired = 1932
|careerprizemoney =
|tennishofyear =
|tennishofid =
|website =
|singlesrecord =
|singlestitles =
|highestsinglesranking =
|AustralianOpenresult =
|FrenchOpenresult =
|Wimbledonresult = 4R (1931)
|USOpenresult = F (1930)
|Othertournaments =
|MastersCupresult =
|WTAChampionshipsresult =
|Olympicsresult =
|doublesrecord =
|doublestitles =
|highestdoublesranking =
|grandslamsdoublesresults =
|AustralianOpenDoublesresult =
|FrenchOpenDoublesresult =
|WimbledonDoublesresult =
|USOpenDoublesresult = F (1928, 1930)
|OthertournamentsDoubles =
|MastersCupDoublesresult =
|WTAChampionshipsDoublesresult =
|OlympicsDoublesresult =
|Mixed =
|mixedrecord =
|mixedtitles =
|AustralianOpenMixedresult =
|FrenchOpenMixedresult =
|WimbledonMixedresult = W (1931)
|USOpenMixedresult = F (1931)
|Team = Yes
|DavisCupresult =
|FedCupresult =
|WightmanCupresult = W (1931, 1932)
}}
Anna McCune Harper (née Anna Virginia McCune, July 2, 1902 – June 14, 1999) was a female tennis player from the U.S. She won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1931 partnering George Lott. She was the runner-up in singles at the 1930 U.S. Championships, losing to Betty Nuthall. She also was the runner-up in women's doubles at the 1928, 1930, and 1932 U.S. Championships and in mixed doubles at the 1931 edition of these championships.
Harper was ranked in the U.S. top 10 on five consecutive years from 1928 through 1932 and was top ranked in 1930.{{cite book |author=United States Tennis Association |title=1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook |publisher=H.O. Zimman, Inc. |location=Lynn, Massachusetts |year=1988 |pages=260 }}
Biography
In 1924, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley,{{cite web |author1=Dwight Chapin |title=Tennis pro, national star Anna McCune Harper |url=http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Tennis-pro-national-star-Anna-McCune-Harper-3079663.php |publisher=SF Gate |date=June 16, 1999}} where she joined the sorority Sigma Kappa.{{Cite web |url=https://www.franbecque.com/sigma-kappa/ |title=On Sigma Kappa's Birthday - a Wimbledon Champ Who Was National President |last=Becque |first=Fran |date=2013-11-09 |website=Fraternity History & More |language=en-US |access-date=2019-08-30}} In 1925, she married Lawrence Averell Harper, a history professor at Berkeley.{{cite web |title=Lawrence Averell Harper, History: Berkeley |url=http://texts.cdlib.org/view?docId=hb4p30063r&doc.view=frames&chunk.id=div00023&toc.depth=1&toc.id= |publisher=Calisphere}} Through the following years, she ranked in the U.S. top 10 players, including 1930 when she ranked at the best player.
In 1932, Harper was called home because of an illness in her family.{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jun-17-sp-47520-story.html |title=Tennis |date=June 17, 1999 |work=Los Angeles Times}} She gave up tournament tennis for other tasks, including raising her three children, but continued to follow the game and played for many years.
Harper served as the national president of her sorority Sigma Kappa from 1939 to 1942.
Harper was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.{{cite web |title=Anna McCune Harper |url=http://www.calbears.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&&DB_OEM_ID=30100&ATCLID=210274190 |publisher=California Golden Bears}}
Around 1983, she had arthroscopic knee surgery at age 81 so she could continue to play. An adverse reaction to a general anesthetic sidelined her for good and then precipitated a slow decline in her health. Harper is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.
Grand Slam finals
=Singles : 1 runner-up=
class='sortable wikitable'
!style="width:40px"|Result !style="width:35px"|Year !style="width:150px"|Championship !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:200px"|Opponent !style="width:110px" class="unsortable"|Score | |||||
style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | |1930 | U.S. Championships | Grass | {{flagicon|GBR}} Betty Nuthall | 1–6, 4–6 |
=Doubles : 2 runners-up=
class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:40px"|Result !style="width:35px"|Year !style="width:150px"|Championship !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:200px"|Partner !style="width:200px"|Opponents !style="width:110px" class="unsortable"|Score | ||||||
style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1928 | U.S. Championships | Grass | {{flagicon|USA|1896}} Edith Cross | {{flagicon|USA|1896}} Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman {{flagicon|USA|1896}} Helen Wills | 2–6, 2–6 |
style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1930 | U.S. Championships | Grass | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} Edith Cross | {{flagicon|GBR}} Betty Nuthall {{flagicon|USA|1912}} Sarah Palfrey Cooke | 6–3, 3–6, 5–7 |
=Mixed doubles : 1 title, 1 runner-up=
class="sortable wikitable"
!style="width:40px"|Result !style="width:35px"|Year !style="width:150px"|Championship !style="width:50px"|Surface !style="width:200px"|Partner !style="width:200px"|Opponents !style="width:110px" class="unsortable"|Score | ||||||
style="background:#cfc;"
| style="background:#98fb98;"|Win | 1931 | Wimbledon | Grass | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} George Lott | {{flagicon|GBR}} Joan Ridley {{flagicon|GBR}} Ian Collins | 6–3, 1–6, 6–1 |
style="background:#ccf;"
| style="background:#ffa07a;"|Loss | 1931 | U.S. Championships | Grass | {{flagicon|USA|1912}} Wilmer Allison | {{flagicon|GBR}} Betty Nuthall {{flagicon|USA|1912}} George Lott | 3–6, 3–6 |
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
{{Performance key|short=yes|active=no}}
class="wikitable"
! Tournament !! 1925 !! 1926 !! 1927 !! 1928 !! 1929 !! 1930 !! 1931 !! 1932 !! Career SR |
style="background:#EFEFEF;" | Australian Championships
| align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" | 0 / 0 |
style="background:#EFEFEF;" | French Championships
| align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" | 0 / 0 |
style="background:#EFEFEF;" | Wimbledon
| align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|4R | align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|1R | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" | 0 / 4 |
style="background:#EFEFEF;" | U.S. Championships
| align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" |A | align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | align="center" style="background:#afeeee;"|3R | align="center" style="background:#D8BFD8;"|F | align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF | align="center" style="background:#ffebcd;"|QF | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" | 0 / 5 |
style="background:#EFEFEF;" | SR
| align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 1 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 1 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 0 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 1 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 1 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 1 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 2 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" |0 / 2 | align="center" style="background:#EFEFEF;" | 0 / 9 |
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Wimbledon player|name=Anna Harper}}
{{Wimbledon mixed doubles champions}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harper, Anna Mccune}}
Category:American female tennis players
Category:Sportspeople from Contra Costa County, California
Category:Tennis players from California
Category:Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era)
Category:Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles
Category:Sportspeople from Santa Barbara, California