Anna McCune Harper

Anna McCune Harper
Full name	Anna Virginia McCune Harper
Country (sports)	United States
Born	Anna Virginia McCune; July 2, 1902; Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Died	June 14, 1999 (aged 96); Moraga, California, U.S.
Retired	1932
Plays	Left-handed [1]
Singles
Grand Slam singles results
Wimbledon	4R (1931)
US Open	F (1930)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
US Open	F (1928, 1930)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
Wimbledon	W (1931)
US Open	F (1931)
Team competitions
Wightman Cup	W (1931, 1932)

Anna McCune Harper (née Anna Virginia McCune, July 2, 1902 – June 14, 1999) was a female tennis player from the U.S. She won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 1931 partnering George Lott. She was the runner-up in singles at the 1930 U.S. Championships, losing to Betty Nuthall. She also was the runner-up in women's doubles at the 1928, 1930, and 1932 U.S. Championships and in mixed doubles at the 1931 edition of these championships.

Harper was ranked in the U.S. top 10 on five consecutive years from 1928 through 1932 and was top ranked in 1930.[2]

Biography

In 1924, she graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Berkeley,[3] where she joined the sorority Sigma Kappa.[4] In 1925, she married Lawrence Averell Harper, a history professor at Berkeley.[3][5] Through the following years, she ranked in the U.S. top 10 players, including 1930 when she ranked at the best player.[2]

In 1932, Harper was called home because of an illness in her family.[6] She then decided to give up tournament tennis for other tasks, including raising her three children,[5][6] but continued to follow the game and played for many years.

Harper served as the national president of her sorority Sigma Kappa from 1939 to 1942.[4]

Harper was inducted into the Cal Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.[6][7]

Around 1983, she had arthroscopic knee surgery at age 81 so she could continue to play. An adverse reaction to a general anesthetic sidelined her for good and then precipitated a slow decline in her health. Harper is buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California.

Grand Slam finals

Singles : 1 runner-up

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1930	U.S. Championships	Grass	Betty Nuthall	1–6, 4–6

Doubles : 2 runners-up

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1928	U.S. Championships	Grass	Edith Cross	Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman Helen Wills	2–6, 2–6
Loss	1930	U.S. Championships	Grass	Edith Cross	Betty Nuthall Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–3, 3–6, 5–7

Mixed doubles : 1 title, 1 runner-up

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1931	Wimbledon	Grass	George Lott	Joan Ridley Ian Collins	6–3, 1–6, 6–1
Loss	1931	U.S. Championships	Grass	Wilmer Allison	Betty Nuthall George Lott	3–6, 3–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

**Key**
W	F	SF	QF	#R	RR	Q#	DNQ	A	NH

(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.

Tournament	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	Career SR
Australian Championships	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0
French Championships	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 0
Wimbledon	3R	1R	A	A	A	A	4R	1R	0 / 4
U.S. Championships	A	A	A	3R	3R	F	QF	QF	0 / 5
SR	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 2	0 / 2	0 / 9

References

"Leader is left hander". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 15, 1931. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. A left-hander, Mr. Harper started playing tennis in Pacific Grove, Calif., about 12 years ago.
United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 260.
Dwight Chapin (June 16, 1999). "Tennis pro, national star Anna McCune Harper". SF Gate.
Becque, Fran (2013-11-09). "On Sigma Kappa's Birthday - a Wimbledon Champ Who Was National President". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2019-08-30.
"Lawrence Averell Harper, History: Berkeley". Calisphere.
"Tennis". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 1999.
"Anna McCune Harper". California Golden Bears.

External links

Anna Harper at Wimbledon

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[1] "Leader is left hander". The Cincinnati Enquirer. February 15, 1931. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com. A left-hander, Mr. Harper started playing tennis in Pacific Grove, Calif., about 12 years ago.

[:0-2] United States Tennis Association (1988). 1988 Official USTA Tennis Yearbook. Lynn, Massachusetts: H.O. Zimman, Inc. p. 260.

[sfgate-3] Dwight Chapin (June 16, 1999). "Tennis pro, national star Anna McCune Harper". SF Gate.

[:1-4] Becque, Fran (2013-11-09). "On Sigma Kappa's Birthday - a Wimbledon Champ Who Was National President". Fraternity History & More. Retrieved 2019-08-30.

[calisphere-5] "Lawrence Averell Harper, History: Berkeley". Calisphere.

[latimes-6] "Tennis". Los Angeles Times. June 17, 1999.

[7] "Anna McCune Harper". California Golden Bears.