Phoebe Holcroft Watson

Playing career

Phoebe Catherine Holcroft was born at St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex, on 7 October 1898. She first played Wimbledon as Miss Holcroft in 1923 and from 1925 entered as Mrs Watson. She won most of her singles titles at the South of England Championships at Eastbourne, and she reached the Wimbledon singles quarter-finals in 1927 and 1928.

Her best years were 1928 and 1929. With Peggy Saunders, who played as Mrs Michell from 1929, she won the Wimbledon doubles twice and the 1929 US doubles; with Eileen Bennett she won the 1928 French doubles. In 1929 she reached the US singles final at Forest Hills and lost to Helen Wills 6-4, 6-2, and A. Wallis Myers ranked her second in the world. She played the Wightman Cup from 1928 to 1930 and was on the winning British side in 1928 and 1930.

She was seeded second for Wimbledon in 1930 but gave a walkover in the first round of the singles, and she played the doubles there until 1933. She died in Eastbourne on 20 October 1980.

On grass

Every grass title: 9

Show every title, tournament by tournament

Wimbledon
1928	Women's doubles	with Peggy Michell
1929	Women's doubles	with Peggy Michell
Eastbourne
1923	Women's singles† South of England Championships
1925	Women's singles† South of England Championships
1926	Women's singles† South of England Championships
1927	Women's singles† South of England Championships
1928	Women's singles† South of England Championships
Irish Championships
1927	Women's singles†
US Championships
1929	Women's doubles	with Peggy Michell

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