The 1881 Women's tennis season was a tennis circuit composed of 35 national, regional, county, and regular tournaments. The season began in April in Cheltenham, England, and ended in October in Queen's Park, Brighton, England.
Summary of season
Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win.
This year for women there would be a tennis circuit of sorts starting to form. 1881 also sees the first indoor tournament for women the Cheltenham Covered Court Championships organised by the Cheltenham Lawn Tennis Club and played on wood courts at the Imperial Winter Gardens, Cheltenham, England.
At the only major event to feature women's competition the Irish Championships in Dublin the women's singles and doubles events were not held, but a mixed doubles event was staged won by Ireland's Mary Abercrombie and England's William Renshaw. In terms of draw size the Exmouth Open was the largest as far as women competitors were concerned with 26 in the main singles draw.
In May 1881 the first national tennis association is formed that being the United States Lawn Tennis Association. At the first official U.S. National Championships there was no women's events and it would be eight years before there would be. In Australia the University of Sydney Lawn Tennis Club formed in 1881 and officially incorporated in 1885, was the only venue in the country following admission of women undergraduates to have active players.
At the 1881 Wimbledon Championships the world's first major tennis tournament, it still remained an all men's event, no women's events were staged. On 26 November 1881 indoor tennis was played inside the 7th Regiment Armory in New York City on with twelve courts for the use of women. In 1913 the International Lawn Tennis Federation was created, that consisted of national member associations. The ILTF through its associated members then became responsible for supervising women's tour events.
Season results
Notes 1: Challenge Round: the final round of a tournament, in which the winner of a single-elimination phase faces the previous year's champion, who plays only that one match. The challenge round was used in the early history of tennis (from 1877 through 1921), in some tournaments not all. X Indicates challenge round final * Indicates doubles ** mixed doubles This year 26 singles, 7 doubles and 20 mixed doubles events were held.
Key
January to March
No events
April
* (denotes doubles) ** (denotes mix doubles)
May
June
** (denotes mix doubles)
July
* (denotes doubles) ** (denotes mix doubles)
August
(*denotes doubles) (**denotes mix doubles)
September
(* denotes doubles)
October
(*denotes doubles) (**denotes mix doubles)
November to December
No events
Tournament Winners
Singles
This is list of winners sorted by number of singles titles (# and main titles in bold) Gertrude Gibbs (3) Bath, Cheltenham II, Cirencester Edith Coleridge (2) Brighton, Queens Park Miss M. Raikes (2) Norwich, Stamford Bridge Miss Draper (1) Aldershot Miss L. Archdale (1) Blenham Miss Stokes (1) Caversham Marion Bradley (1) Cheltenham Ethel Surtees (1) Darlington Miss L. Williams (1) Denbigh Agnes Watts (1) Eastbourne Maud Watson (1) Edgbaston–(1) Lilian Cole (1) Exmouth Miss Arkwright (1) Highclere Miss A. Jackson (1) Kettering Rose Collier (1) Lichfield Marian Smith (1) Limerick Kate Rayner (1) Liverpool Miss C. Vesey 1) Naas Miss M Malden (1) Sittingbourne M Raikes (1) Stamford Bridge Marion Langley (1) St. Leonards-on-Sea May Langrishe (1) Waterford
Doubles
This is list of winners sorted by number of doubles titles (# and main titles in bold) Clara Hill & Ellen Ramsay (2) Cheltenham, Cheltenham II Connie Butler & May Langrishe (1) Irish Championships Miss Maltby & E. Munt (1) Brighton Lilian Watson & Maud Watson (1) Edgbaston A. Barry & F. Helder (1)Liverpool–(1)
