Sydney, 1931
Champion without a state title
She won two national singles titles but never a state singles championship, which makes her unique among Australians who have won the national title more than once.
Source: WikipediaBetween the wars
Coral Buttsworth
Australia · born New South Wales, 1900 · died 1985 · right-handed · Australian champion in 1931 and 1932 without ever winning a state title
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2
Australian singles titles, 1931 and 1932
3
Australian singles finals in a row, 1931 to 1933
1932
Australian women's doubles title, with Marjorie Crawford
0
State singles titles, unique among multiple Australian champions
Playing career
Coral Annabell McInnes was born in New South Wales in June 1900 and played from Sydney as Mrs Buttsworth. Seeded fourth at the 1931 Australian Championships at White City in Sydney, she beat the top seed, Marjorie Crawford, in the final 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In 1932, at Memorial Drive in Adelaide, she retained the title, beating Kathleen Le Messurier 9-7, 6-4, and won the women's doubles with Crawford, beating Le Messurier and Dorothy Weston 6-2, 6-2. She reached a third final in a row at Kooyong in 1933, where the top seed, Joan Hartigan, beat her 6-4, 6-3. She died in December 1985.
On grass
| Australian Championships finals | 1931, White City, Sydney: beat Marjorie Crawford 1-6, 6-3, 6-4. 1932, Memorial Drive, Adelaide: beat Kathleen Le Messurier 9-7, 6-4. 1933, Kooyong, Melbourne: lost to Joan Hartigan 6-4, 6-3 |
|---|---|
| Australian doubles | 1932 champion with Marjorie Crawford, beating Kathleen Le Messurier and Dorothy Weston 6-2, 6-2 |
| Seeding | Won the 1931 title as fourth seed, beating the top seed in the final |
Every grass title: 3
Show every title, tournament by tournament
| Australian Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Women's singles | |
| 1932 | Women's doubles | with Marjorie Cox Crawford |
| 1932 | Women's singles | |
Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. †single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions
Anecdotes
The person behind the player.
Style
Up and back
Wikipedia describes her as a strong, thick-set woman from Sydney who was addicted to chopping the ball, with an excellent drop shot. Rather than run opponents from side to side, she drew them in and drove them back.
Source: Wikipedia1931 to 1932
From final opponent to partner
Marjorie Crawford, the top seed she beat from a set down in the 1931 final, became her partner a year later, and together they won the 1932 Australian doubles in Adelaide. Crawford's husband, Jack Crawford, won the men's singles in both years.
Source: Australian Open honour roll; WikipediaAdelaide, 1932
The favourite who withdrew
The original top seed for 1932, Esna Boyd Robertson, withdrew on the eve of the event through serious illness and the death of her mother, and Buttsworth retained her title in a field of 17.
Source: Wikipedia, citing the Brisbane Telegraph, 4 February 1932Join Grass Tennis Club
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Where they won on grass
- White City, Sydney
- Memorial Drive, Adelaide
- Find a grass court near you
Rivals and partners
- Marjorie Crawford
- Joan Hartigan
- Kathleen Le Messurier
- Sylvia Harper
On Grass Tennis Club
Sources
- Australian Open honour roll, women's singles
- Coral Buttsworth, Wikipedia
- 1931 Australian Championships, Wikipedia
- 1931 Australian Championships, women's singles, Wikipedia
- 1932 Australian Championships, Wikipedia
- 1932 Australian Championships, women's singles, Wikipedia
- 1933 Australian Championships, Wikipedia
- Coral McInnes, db4tennis
- GTC roll of grass champions, checked against a second source where one exists
Page updated 4 November 2026. Spotted an error? Send a correction.
