| 1883 Women's tennis season | |
| Duration: | 22 May – 5 October |
| Edition: | 8th |
| Tournaments: | 25 |
| Categories: | Important (2) National (0) Provincial/Regional/State (4) County (4) Regular (15) |
| Most Tournament Titles: | Maud Watson (3) |
| Most Tournament Finals: | Maud Watson (3) |
| Previous: | 1882 |
| Next: | 1884 |
The 1883 Women's tennis season was a tennis circuit composed of 25 national, regional, county, and regular tournaments. The season began in May in Dublin, Ireland, and ended in October in Staten Island, United States.[1]
Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win.[2] [3] [4]
1883 sees a decrease in the number women's singles events being held as the tennis circuit continues to form.[5] In May 1883 at the first major event of the year the Irish Championships[6] in Dublin, Ireland. In the women's Ireland's May Langrishe wins the singles title defeating her sister Beatrice Langrishe, she also picks up the mixed doubles title with Ernest Browne. In terms of draw size the West of England Championships was the largest tournament of the year with a draw of 46 across three events.
In June 1883 at the second major tournament of the year the Northern Championships in Manchester featured a full schedule of events the singles title going to Edith Coleridge, she also picks up the doubles title with Rose Collier, whilst the mixed event is won by the pairing of Clara Fletcher and Ernest Browne (himself winning both mixed titles at both major tournaments).
At the 1883 Wimbledon Championships the world's first major tennis tournament, it still remained an all men's event, no women's events were staged. At the U.S. National Championships there was still no women's championship events held. In October 1883 the first official event for women is held at the Staten Island Cricket Club organised by the Brighton Ladies Club for Outdoor Sports, the event is known as the Camp Washington Ladies Tournament a Miss Goodwin defeats Adeline Robinson in the singles final, however she wins the doubles title with a Miss Grandy.[7] In 1913 the International Lawn Tennis Federation was created, that consisted of national member associations. The ILTF through its associated members then became responsible for supervising women's tour events.
Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921),[8] in some tournaments not all.
Key
| Important.[9] [10] [11] [12] | |
| National | |
| Provincial/State/Regional | |
| County | |
| Local |
No events
Mix doubles (**)
| Ended | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarterfinalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 May. |  May Langrishe6-0, 6-1 | Connie Butler E. Esmonde | Miss Bayley Mrs Clarke Lena Rice Miss Shaw | ||
| May Langrishe** Ernest Browne 6-3, 6-2, 6-0 | Lena Rice Peter Aungier | ||||
| Ended | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 June. | Maud Watson 6-1, 6-2 | N. Pope |  Georgina KirkbyFlorence Mardall N. Pope | ||
| Lilian Watson* Maud Watson 6-3, 5-6, 6-3 | Edith Davies Grace Gibbs | ||||
| 9 June. | Maud Watson 6-3, 6-0 | F Davies | Edith Davies | Miss Cornford Florence Mardall | |
| Lilian Watson * Maud Watson 6-1, 6-1 | Kate Cornford F Davies | ||||
| 21 June. | Agnes Watts 2-6, 6-1, 6-1, 6-2 | Miss Noon | |||
| 22 June. | May Langrishe 6-1, 6-2, 6-0 | Mary Lysaght | |||
| 30 June. | Edith Coleridge 6-3, 9-7 | Miss Eckersley | Miss L Cheetham Emily Fletcher | N. Garnett A. McLaren B. McLaren K. Mitchell | |
| Edith Coleridge * Rose Collier 6-3, 9-7 | Miss L Cheetham Miss Eckersley | ||||
* (denotes doubles) ** (denotes mix doubles)x
| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarterfinalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Jul. | No Ladies Singles | ||||
| Lilian Watson * Maud Watson 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 | Miss Noon Agnes Watts | ||||
| 21 Jul. | Staffordshire C.C.C. Tournament Staffordshire Lawn Tennis Club Lichfield, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Mrs Peter Smith 2-6, 6-4, 6-5 | Rose Collier | ||
| 25 Jul. | Norwich Open Norwich, England Grass Singles - Doubles | G Rant 6-1, 6-2 | J.Hartoup | ||
| Ended | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarterfinalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Aug | Framlingham Open Framlingham, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Miss G Want 6-2, 6-0 | Miss Davey | ||
| 4 Aug | Worcestershire CCC Open Worcester, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Florence Mardall 6-2, 6-4 | Miss Hill | ||
| 8 Aug | West Somersetshire Tournament Taunton, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Georgina Woodhouse 6-5, 6-2 | Mary Spurway | ||
| 9 Aug | Victoria Park Lawn Tennis Tournament Exeter, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Lilian Cole 6-2 6-1 | Miss Cobbold | ||
| 16 Aug. | South Wales Championships Tenby, Wales Grass Singolare - Doppio | C Jones 6-2 3-6 6-4 | E Fletcher | ||
| 17 Aug | East Grinstead Lawn Tennis Tournament East Grinstead, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Leila Lodwick 6-2 6-1 | Miss Cobbold | ||
| 18 Aug. | Exmouth Tournament Exmouth, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Maud Watson 6-4 6-2 | |||
| 23 Aug. | Teignmouth and Shaldon Open Teignmouth, England Asphalt Singles - Doubles | Florence Mardall 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 | |||
| 25 Aug. | South of Scotland Championships Moffat, Scotland Grass Singles - Doubles | Jane Meikle 6-3 2-6 6-3 | A Forest | ||
| Midland Counties Championships Edgbaston, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Miss Hutton 6-5 8-6 | L Sanders | |||
| 29 Aug | Mid Devon Lawn Tennis Tournament Eggesford, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Leila Lodwick 6-2 6-1 | Miss Cobbold | ||
| Ended | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semifinalist | Quarterfinalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Sep. | Bournemouth Lawn Tennis Club Tournament Bournemouth, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Mrs Hornby 5-6 6-3 6-1 | M Richards | ||
| 8 Sep | Devonshire Park Championships Eastbourne, England Grass Singles - Doubles | M Leslie 10-8 6-4 | Miss Congreve | ||
| 12 Sep | Portishead Open Lawn Tennis Tournament Portishead, England Grass Singles - Doubles | Miss Bryant 6-2 6-3 | J. Carter | ||
| 14 Sep | Saxmundham LTC Tournament Saxmundham, England Grass Singles - Doubles | G. Rant 6-0 6-2 | L. Davy | ||
No events
This is a list of winners by the total number of singles titles won for 1883:
May Langrishe – Archersfield, Irish Championships, (2) G. Rant – Norwich, Saxmundham, (2)
Miss Goodwin – Staten Island, (1) Mrs Peter Smith – Lichfield, (1) Lilian Cole – Exeter, (1) Mrs Hornby – Bournemouth, (1) M Leslie – Eastbourne, (1) Miss Bryant – Portishead, (1)