FAQs
The nine women were Americans Peaches Bartkowicz, Rosie Casals, Julie Heldman, Billie Jean King, Kristy Pigeon, Nancy Richey, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Australians Judy Tegart Dalton and Kerry Melville Reid, and together with Heldman they were committed to creating a better future for female athletes.
Who are the Houston Nine? ›
King, Casals, Richey, Heldman, and Ziegenfuss were joined by Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz, and Kristy Pigeon, all of whom signed onto what would become the Virginia Slims Circuit for one dollar.
Who was Billie Jean King in 1970? ›
In 1970, she was one of nine players who broke away from the tennis establishment in protest. Soon, they organized their own tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit (sharing the sponsor cigarette's slogan “You've Come A Long Way, Baby”). In 1971, King became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in a single season.
What was the Virginia Slims tour? ›
The Virginia Slims Circuit was a tennis tour consisting of a group of originally nine female professional players. Formed in 1970, the Virginia Slims Circuit eventually became the basis for the later WTA Tour.
What is a 7.0 tennis player? ›
A tennis rating of a 7.0 indicates the player plays professionally at tournament and makes a living from tournament prize money. While it may take time to move from one tennis rating to another it is important to make sure to use proper body mechanics to reduce the risk of injury setting a player back.
What did the Original 9 do? ›
The Original 9 were a group of nine women's professional tennis players who broke away from the governing bodies of tennis in 1970 to launch their own professional tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later evolved into the modern WTA Tour.
Who were the early female tennis players? ›
1887- Ellen Hansell was crowned the first Women's singles tennis champion at the U.S. Open. 1887- Lottie Dod won the women's Wimbledon championship five times between 1887 and 1893. 1887- First women's French Tennis Championship was held. 1888- Women joined the Chicago tennis club in New York City.
Who founded WTA? ›
Billie Jean King, also known as BJK, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups.
WikipediaHouston History: Meet Jack Yates, a prominent local black leader who was born enslaved. HOUSTON – During the post Civil War era, Rev. Jack Yates was a prominent black who played a significant impact on the black community in Houston.
Who did Billie Jean King defeat in 1973? ›
On Sept. 20, 1973, top women's tennis player Billie Jean King defeated former No. 1 ranked men's tennis player Bobby Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" match. King beat Riggs in straight sets, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3.
Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 59 major titles, the most in the Open Era.
Why did Elton John write Philadelphia Freedom? ›
John was looking to honour Billie Jean King, and so asked Taupin to write a song called "Philadelphia Freedom" as a homage to her tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. In His Song: The Musical History of Elton John, Elizabeth Rosenthal recounts that Taupin said, "I can't write a song about tennis", and did not.
Do they still make Virginia Slims menthol? ›
All varieties are available in both menthol and non-menthol flavors.
Where was the Virginia Slims tennis tournament held? ›
The Virginia Slims of Houston is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1970 to 1995. It was held in Houston, Texas in the United States and played on indoor carpet courts from 1970 to 1984 and on outdoor clay courts from 1985 to 1995.
What is pro 8 in tennis? ›
Pro-Set o A PRO-SET is one in which the winner is required to win 8 games by a margin of two games. o A JH Match shall consist of ONE PRO-SET. 7 Point Tie-Breaker o Used to complete a set tied at 8 all in a PRO-SET. o The first player to win 7 points and be ahead by 2 points wins the tie-breaker and the set.
What is a 6-0 in tennis called? ›
Bagel – The tongue-in-cheek name given to the score of 6-0 in a set, due to zero being shaped like a bagel. Losing a match 6-0, 6-0 or 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 is known as getting a double or a treble bagel.
What is it called when you win 6 to 0 in tennis? ›
In tennis, a bagel is when the set ends with a score of 6–0. An extremely rare type of bagel, where no point is lost, is called a golden set.
How much did Channel 9 pay for the tennis? ›
Tennis Australia-Nine seal record $425m deal. The largest rights deal in local tennis history was sealed around midnight on Thursday after a months-long negotiation process involved several all-nighters with the teams from Tennis Australia and Nine.
