born Aug. 25, 1927, Silver, S.C., U.S.
died Sept. 28, 2003, East Orange, N.J.
U.S. tennis player.
She was the first black player to win the French (1956), Wimbledon (195758), and U.S. Open (195758) singles championships. She won a total of 11 grand-slam events. Ranked first in the U.S. in 1957 and 1958, she was voted Female Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press both years, the first African American to receive that honour.