The early years
United States · born Pittsburgh, 1878 · died 1952 · US singles champion in 1900 and twice US doubles champion
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3
US Championships titles, 1899 to 1901
6-2, 6-2, 6-0
Her winning score in the 1900 US final
5
Sets in the 1901 challenge round she lost to Elisabeth Moore
6
US Championships finals in three years, 1899 to 1901
Myrtle McAteer was born in Pittsburgh in 1878. In June 1899 she won the US women's doubles with Jane Craven on the grass of the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and that September she won the first women's singles at the Cincinnati tournament, on clay, beating Juliette Atkinson in the final.
In 1900 she won the US singles title, beating Edith Parker 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 in the All Comers' final; the holder, Marion Jones, did not defend. In 1901 she lost the title to Elisabeth Moore in a five-set challenge round, but won the doubles with Juliette Atkinson and reached the mixed final. She lost the 1899 women's Western final at Chicago to Atkinson in four sets, then won that title in 1901 and 1902, and played at Cincinnati until 1905, reaching ten finals there. She was still a quarter-finalist at the US Clay Court Championships in 1915. She died in Los Angeles in 1952.
| US Championships 1900 | Beat Edith Parker 6-2, 6-2, 6-0 in the All Comers' final; with no challenge round, that won her the title |
|---|---|
| US Championships 1901 | Lost the challenge round to Elisabeth Moore 6-4, 3-6, 7-5, 2-6, 6-2 |
| Other US finals | Doubles finalist in 1900 and mixed doubles finalist in 1901 |
| US Championships | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1899 | Women's doubles | with Jane Craven |
| 1900 | Women's singles | |
| 1901 | Women's doubles | with Juliette Atkinson |
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
The person behind the player.
Cincinnati, 1899
For winning the first women's singles at Cincinnati she received a Brookwood vase valued at $100; she and Juliette Atkinson, her doubles partner, took a three-piece silver berry set. About 2,000 people watched the final day.
Source: Women Who Serve, citing contemporary reports1899 in review
The Anaconda Standard's review of the sporting year 1899 listed her Cincinnati win over Atkinson between a bicycle record and two boxing results: "Miss McAteer of Pittsburg wrests the woman's tennis championship from Miss Atkinson of Brooklyn."
Source: The Anaconda Standard, 31 December 1899, Library of CongressPhiladelphia, June 1901
Press reports of the 1901 championships called her "the present champion" before the challenge round. Elisabeth Moore, who had lost the title to her the year before, won it back in five sets.
Source: The Butte Inter Mountain, 28 June 1901, and The Montgomery Advertiser, 30 June 1901, Library of CongressChicago, September 1902
Defending the women's Western title at the Kenwood courts, she had her final put back a day so that she could play the doubles semi-finals. Against Carrie Neely, the New-York Tribune reported, it looked for a time as if she would lose, but she won the deciding set 6-0.
Source: New-York Tribune, 11 September 1902, Library of CongressFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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