Between the wars
Great Britain · born Chiswick, 1905 · died 1941 · twice Wimbledon doubles champion with Phoebe Holcroft Watson
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2
Wimbledon ladies' doubles titles, 1928 and 1929
1929
Wimbledon and US doubles titles in the same summer
0
Sets dropped in her two Wimbledon finals
3
Wightman Cup appearances, 1928, 1929 and 1932
36
Age at her death in 1941
Margaret Amy Saunders, known as Peggy, was born in Chiswick on 28 January 1905 and educated at St Paul's Girls' School in London. She played Wimbledon nine times between 1925 and 1938, first as Miss Saunders and, after her marriage, as Mrs Michell.
Her partnership with Phoebe Holcroft Watson was one of the best of the late 1920s. They reached the French final in 1927, won Wimbledon in 1928 and 1929 without dropping a set in either final, and in 1929 also won the US title. In singles her best Grand Slam results came in 1929: the fourth round at Wimbledon and the quarter-finals at the US Championships, where she lost to Helen Wills. She won the British Covered Court singles at Queen's Club in 1926 and 1929.
She played in the Wightman Cup in 1928, when Britain beat the United States, and again in 1929 and 1932. She died at Harrow on 19 June 1941, aged 36.
| Wimbledon finals | 1928: with Phoebe Holcroft Watson, seeded third, beat Eileen Bennett and Ermyntrude Harvey 6-2, 6-3. 1929: as Mrs Michell, again with Watson, beat Phyllis Covell and Dorothy Shepherd Barron 6-4, 8-6 |
|---|---|
| Wimbledon 1929 singles | Reached the fourth round, her best Wimbledon singles result, losing to Elsie Goldsack |
| Wightman Cup 1928 | A member of the British team that beat the United States |
| Wimbledon | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1928 | Women's doubles | with Phoebe Holcroft Watson |
| 1929 | Women's doubles | with Phoebe Holcroft Watson |
| US Championships | ||
| 1929 | Women's doubles | with Phoebe Holcroft Watson |
| Northern Championships | ||
| 1938 | 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
The person behind the player.
Two names
The Wimbledon roll lists the 1928 champions as Peggy Saunders and Phoebe Watson and the 1929 champions as Phoebe Watson and Peggy Michell. She had married between the two Championships, and the Compendium cross-refers the two names.
Source: Wimbledon Compendium 2025 (AELTC)Queen's Club
Away from grass she was a strong indoor player, winning the British Covered Court singles on the wooden courts at Queen's Club in 1926 and 1929 and the doubles there from 1929 to 1933, with four different partners.
Source: Peggy Michell, WikipediaFree membership: player news, the grass court Atlas, the rankings and the grass season calendar.
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