1967 Ranking Year

Lance Tingay at the London Daily Telegraph ranked Billie Jean King first in the world for 1967. On March 19, 1968, King was presented with the Babe Didrikson Zaharias award for the top female athlete of 1967.

Last accomplished by American Alice Marble in 1939, King won the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles titles at both Wimbledon and the U. S. National Championships. She won 7 of the 9 Grand Slam events she played. She lost her quarterfinal singles and women's doubles matches at the French International Championships, although she teamed with Owen Davidson to win the mixed doubles title. She did not enter the Australian National Championships.

King did not lose a singles or doubles match in Federation Cup or Wightnan Cup play. She won all ten of her completed matches, with one dead rubber left unfinished.

King had two long winning streaks in singles.

In February, King lost the final of the New England Women's Invitational Indoor Championships to Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie. King then won 23 consecutive matches and five tournaments, including the U. S. National Indoor Championships and the South African National Championships. Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy, seeded ninth, ended that winning streak in the quarterfinals of the French International Championships.

In July, King lost in the semifinals of the U. S. Clay Court Championships to Rosemary Casals. King then won 25 consecutive matches and five events, including the U. S. National Championships and the Wightman Cup. Julie Heldman, unseeded, ended that winning streak (plus her 40-set winning streak) in the quarterfinals of the Pacific Coast International Championships.

The United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) ranked King first in the U. S. for the 1967 ranking year. According to the USLTA Yearbook, King played 15 singles tournaments and had a 68–5, 93.15% win-loss record.

Listed below are 15 singles tournaments (10 of which she won) plus the Wightman Cup and the Federation Cup. Her win-loss record as listed below is 68–5, 93.15% (24-1 on grass, 18-1 on hard courts, 14-2 on clay, and 12-1 indoors). She also won 7 women's doubles tournaments (40–6, 86.96%) and 5 mixed doubles titles.

Just before she left the U. S. to play in South Africa, King was interviewed by the news media and was quoted as follows:

[O]ne insignificant argument with a linesman gets blown all out of proportion by newspapermen. ... The match itself - and it may be exceptional - gets the brushoff.

When do you ever read a personality story about a tennis player? You just get a jumble of scores and a last paragraph that so-and-so showed a good backhand. If [star major league baseball players] ... sneeze, they get columns all over the place. It just isn't fair....

The Australians always are the best in amateur tennis because there is a whopping financial payoff.... The Australians quit school at 15 and get on the payroll of athletics goods concerns. They receive exceptional coaching. When they hit the top level, they are permitted private tours at whatever expense the traffic bears. In Australia, ... all efforts are made to develop ... [the] maximum potential [of youngsters with tennis ability]. Young people in the United States [also] have tremendous athletic ability. It just shouldn't go to waste, especially in tennis. ... I'm not really knocking our tennis program, just explaining it. ... But if we're ever going ... to meet the Australians on equal ground, we've got to start by cutting ... the juniors' [tournament entry] fees.

During the U. S. National Doubles Championships in August, King complained about the existing system that separates amateur from professional players:

The women get nothing but the barest of expenses, and we're watched closer on the finances than the men. I've been trying to be No. 1 since I was a little kid on the public parks on Long Beach. I struggled and worked, and I only got trips abroad when I proved myself. Now I'm No. 1 and, frankly, I've been offered $1,200 a week to play in Europe. I'd love to do it, but the U. S. Lawn Tennis Association insists that I return to America to play our own tournaments for straight expenses, and I can't make much doing that. Why shouldn't I make money? Or anyone else? The tournaments make money on us players. The whole amateur-pro situation is stupid.

SINGLES HEAD-TO-HEAD, VERSUS YEAR-END TOP 10

..4-1  Ann Haydon Jones (#2)
..1-0  Françoise Durr (#3)
..0-0  Nancy Richey (#4)
..0-0  Lesley Turner Bowrey (#5)
..2-1  Rosemary Casals (#6)
..1-0  Maria Bueno (#7)
..4-0  Virginia Wade (#8)
..1-0  Kerry Melville Reid (#9)
..0-0  Judy Tegart Dalton (#10)

13-2  Total

SINGLES HEAD-TO-HEAD, VERSUS ALL OPPONENTS

4-0  Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin (career 10-0)
4-0  Virginia Wade (career 9-1)

4-1  Ann Haydon Jones (career 14-6)

2-0  Cecilia Martinez (career 3-0)
2-0  Ingrid Lofdahl Bentzer (career 2-0)
2-0  Karen Krantzcke (career 5-0)
2-0  Kristy Pigeon Crawford (career 2-0)
2-0  Patti Hogan Fordyce (career 5-0)
2-0  Stephanie DeFina Johnson Hagan (career 3-0)

2-1  Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy (career 3-1)
2-1  Rosemary Casals (career 5-3)
1-0  Ann Moore
1-0  Becky Vest
1-0  Bernice Carr Vukovich (career 1-1)
1-0  Carmen Coronado Mandarino
1-0  Carole Caldwell Graebner (career 11-3)
1-0  Connie Jaster (career 2-0)
1-0  Denise Carter Triolo
1-0  Diane Brooks
1-0  Donna Barke
1-0  Donna Floyd Fales (career 2-0)
1-0  Edda Buding Düchting (career 4-2)
1-0  Esme Emanuel Faerber (career 2-0)
1-0  Faye Urban
1-0  Françoise Durr
1-0  Gail Sherriff Chanfreau Lovera (career 1-1)
1-0  Gertrude Groenman Wahlof Hoolboom

1-0  Gillian Lewis
1-0  Ginger Pfeiffer
1-0  Helen Gourlay Cawley (career 2-0)
1-0  Helga Niessen Masthoff
1-0  Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz
1-0  Joan Johnson (career 2-0)
1-0  Joyce Williams
1-0  Julie Holt
1-0  Karol Gagliano
1-0  Kathy Douglas
1-0  Kerry Melville Reid (career 3-1)
1-0  Lea Pericoli Fontana (career 3-0)
1-0  Maria Bueno (career 5-4)
1-0  Marilyn Jane Aschner
1-0  Mary Larreco
1-0  Mimi Kanarek Donegan
1-0  Mira Panajotovic Vukelich (career 2-0)
1-0  Nancy Reed (career 2-0)
1-0  Patricia Walkden Pretorius
1-0  Peachy Kellmeyer (career 2-0)
1-0  Tina Lyman
1-0  Valerie Ziegenfuss (career 3-1)
1-0  Yale Stockwell

1-1  Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie (career 7-1)

0-1  Julie Heldman (career 5-1)

=====================

Week of September 26, 1966

Pacific Coast Championships

Berkeley, California, U. S.

Hard

King in singles, [2] seed:

1R  bye
2R  King defaulted. Alison Cox advanced by walkover.

Women's doubles:

King did not enter this event.

Week of February 6, 1967

New England Invitational Indoor Championships

North Shore Tennis and Squash Club

Salem, Massachusetts, U. S.

Indoor

General Notes:

(1) This was a 4-day tournament that began Saturday, February 11 and ended Tuesday, February 14.

(2) The surface was fast, especially compared to the surface used at the U. S. National Indoor Championships

Draw:

The singles draw had 42 players (5 rounds for those with a first round bye, otherwise 6 rounds) and 9 seeds.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Karol Gagliano 6-0, 6-0
3R  d. Yale Stockwell 6-3, 6-0
QF  d. [7]  Valerie Ziegenfuss 7-5, 6-2
SF  d. [6]  Stephanie DeFina Johnson Hagan 8-10, 6-1, 6-1
FN  lost to [4]  Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie 6-4, 5-7, 11-9 (42 games)

The final lasted 2 hours, 35 minutes. King played her second and third round matches on the same day. 

King in women's doubles with Judy Dixon:

SF  lost to Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie / Carol Hanks Aucamp (score unknown)

King teamed with 17 year old high school senior Judy Dixon from Essex Fells, New Jersey for the first time.

Week of February 13, 1967 

U. S. National Indoor Championships

Winchester Indoor Tennis Center

Winchester, Massachusetts

Indoor

General Notes:

(1) This was a 4-day tournament that began Thursday, February 16 and ended Sunday, February 19.

(2) Boston Globe columnist Bud Collins said that the plastic grass playing surface played like clay.

(3) King won all three events at this tournament in 1966. She had hoped to join Pauline Betz Addie (1941 and 1943) as the only women to have twice won all three events in the same year. But in 1967, King was short by one women's doubles title.

(4) Although this tournament had many long and close matches, King was dominant in singles and mixed doubles. The average set score in her singles matches was 6.2-1.6 (games won/lost during 10 sets: 62-16). The average set score for her women's doubles matches was 5.4-4.1 in King's favor (games won/lost during 8 sets: 43-33). The average set score for her in mixed doubles matches was 6.1-2.3 in King's favor (games won/lost during 8 sets: 49-18). The average set score for all of her matches was 5.9-2.6 in King's favor (games won/lost during 26 sets: 154-67).

(5) According to Collins in a Boston Globe article dated February 16, 1967, King was already complaining of her "old knees."

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  d. Donna Barker 6-1, 6-0 (or 6-0, 6-1)
2R  d. Nancy Reed 6-2, 6-0
QF  d. [6]  Stephanie DeFina Johnson Hagan 7-5, 7-5
SF  d. [8]  Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin 6-1, 6-2
FN  d. [1F]  Gertrude Groenman Wahlof Hoolboom 6-1, 6-0

King needed only 34 minutes to rout Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin in the semifinals. She needed even less time (33 minutes) to win the final.

King's toughest singles match was in the quarterfinals where she needed almost 2 hours to defeat Stephanie DeFina Johnson Hagan.

The 32-player singles draw included 6 of the top 10 ranked U. S. players (among the missing was Nancy Richey) plus foreigners Helga Niessen Masthoff and the Dutch runner-up. Boston Globe journalist Bud Collins said it was the strongest field ever for this tournament.

King in women's doubles with Judy Dixon, [NS]:

1R  bye (assumed)
QF  d. [4]  Donna Floyd Fales / Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin 6-4, 6-8, 6-4
SF  d. [NS]  Valerie Ziegenfuss / Emilie Burrer 6-4, 6-1
FN  lost to [2]  Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie / Carol Hanks Aucamp 6-4, 1-6, 6-2

King in mixed doubles with Paul Sullivan, [1] seed:

1R  d. Jade Schiffman / Sumner Rodman 6-1, 6-2
QF  d. Valerie Ziegenfuss / Chauncy Steele 6-0, 6-2
SF  d. [NS]  Judy Dixon / Harvey Harrison 6-2, 7-5
FN  d. [2]  Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie / Chum Steele 6-3, 6-3

King teamed with Paul Sullivan at this tournament from 1966 through 1968. They won the title the first two years.

Week of February 20, 1967

Pacific Coast Indoor Championships

Pacific Indoor Tennis Club

San Rafael, California, U. S.

Indoor

General Note:

This was a 5-day tournament that started Wednesday, February 22 and finished Sunday, February 26.

Draw:

The singles event had an 8-player draw.

King in singles, [1] seed:

QF  d. Kathy Douglas 6-2, 6-1
SF  d. Cecilia Martinez 6-4, 6-2
FN  d. [2]  Patti Hogan Fordyce 6-3, 8-6

Women's doubles:

This event was not held.

King in mixed doubles with Chuck Darley:

1R/FN  d. Patti Hogan Fordyce / Luiz Arilla 6-3, 6-4

Whitney Reed was scheduled to play with King, but last minute car trouble prevented it.

Weeks of March 13 & 20, 1967

South African National Championships

Ellis Park

Johannesburg, South Africa

Hard

General Notes:

(1) King defeated Maria Bueno in all three finals.

(2) This was a two-week tournament.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Gillian Lewis 6-1, 6-0
3R  d. Bernice Carr Vukovich 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
QF  d. Edda Buding Düchting 6-3, 7-5
SF  d. Joan Johnson 6-4, 6-3
FN  d. [2]  Maria Bueno 7-5, 5-7, 6-2

King successfully defended her 1966 singles title.

The final with Maria Bueno was "full of errors and lost services." She held serve only once out of six service games in the first set. King was almost as bad, dropping her service 4 times in 6 service games. In the second and third sets, Bueno got broken 4 more times to King's 3 drops of service. Bueno also was called for 6 foot faults and smashed poorly. King "fought tenaciously for every point and often caught her opponent on the wrong foot with well placed lobs."

King won 9 consecutive games during her semifinal match with Joan Johnson, who had upset fourth-seeded Rosemary Casals in the third round and Patricia Walkden Pretorius in the quarterfinals.

King saved a set point in the second set of her quarterfinal match with Edda Buding Düchting.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [2] seed:

QF  d. Marianne Brummer / Anita van Deventer 6-2, 5-7, 8-6
SF  d. Christine Truman Janes / Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy 6-2, 6-0
FN  d. Maria Bueno / Judy Tegart Dalton 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

Fransie Alberts and Anne MacAlpine were erroneously reported by the international news media on March 19 to have defeated King and Casals 6-2, 6-4.

King in mixed doubles with Owen Davidson:

1R  d. Mrs. M. Moody / Basil Wheeler (score unknown)
2R  d. Ria Greef / George Rudman (score unknown)
3R  d. Marianne Brummer / Gustav Reinach 6-2, 6-3
QF  d. Jean Forbes / Gordon Forbes 6-1, 6-3
SF  d. Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy / Frew McMillan 7-5, 12-10
FN  d. Maria Bueno / Ken Fletcher 6-1, 6-3

This was the beginning of the successful mixed doubles partnership between King and Owen Davidson.

Week of March 27, 1967

Long Island Invitational Round Robin Exhibition

Brookville, New York, U. S.

Indoor

General Notes:

(1) This exhibition is not included in King's official record. It was played March 31-April 1.

(2) King won this event with a total of 174 points, earned as follows:
     * King defeated Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie 31-23. King earned 43 points: 31 plus 5 for winning plus 7 for holding her opponent under 30.

     * King defeated Donna Floyd Fales 31-25. King earned 41 points for this match.

     * King defeated Floyd Fales 31-27. King earned 39 points for this match.

     * King defeated Eisel Curtis Beattie 31-15. King earned 51 points for this match.

Week of May 1, 1967

State of California Championships

Alpine Hills Tennis and Swimming Club

Portola Valley, California, U. S.

Hard

Draws:

The singles draw included 22 women (4 rounds for those with first round byes, otherwise 5 rounds). The women's doubles draw included 8 teams (3 rounds).

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Diane Brooks 6-0, 6-1
QF  d. [NS]  Tina Lyman 6-1, 6-3
SF  d. [NS]  Cecilia Martinez 6-2, 6-3
FN  d. [2]  Rosemary Casals 6-1, 6-3

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [1] seed:

QF  d. Tina Lyman / Joann Harris 6-2, 6-0

SF  d. Cecilia Martinez / Kristy Pigeon Crawford 6-4, 2-6, 6-2
FN  d. [2]  Lynn Abbes / Jane Albert Freedman 6-1, 6-2

Mixed doubles:

King did not enter this event.

Week of May 8, 1967

Charlotte Invitational

Olde Providence Racquet and Swim Club

Charlotte, North Carolina, U. S.

Clay

Draw:

This was a 12-player draw (3 rounds for those who received a first round draw, otherwise 4 rounds).

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  d. Julie Holt 6-0, 6-0
QF  d. Peachy Kellmeyer 6-3, 6-0
SF  d. [4]  Donna Floyd Fales 6-1, 6-1
FN  d. [2]  Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz 6-1, 6-2

In the final, King easily defeated Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz, who was the top-ranked American junior.

Donna Floyd Fales was the singles runner-up in 1966, but King routed her this year in the semifinals.

From 2-3 down in the first set, King won the last 10 games of her quarterfinal match with Peachy Kellmeyer.

King's first round opponent, Julie Holt, was North Carolina's top ranked player.

Women's doubles:

King did not enter this event.

Weeks of May 22 & 29, 1967

French International Championships

Roland Garros Stadium

Paris, France

Clay

General Note:

This was the first time that King had played this important Grand Slam tournament.

Draws:

(1) The singles draw included 96 women (6 rounds for those who had a first round bye, otherwise 7 rounds) with 16 seeds.

(2) The singles draw is available.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Carmen Coronado Mandarino 6-0, 6-0
3R  d. Helen Gourlay Cawley 6-0, 9-7
4R  d. [16]  Gail Sherriff Chanfreau Lovera 6-1, 6-3
QF  lost to [9]  Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy 6-2, 5-7, 6-4

Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy ended King's 23-match winning streak in the quarterfinals. King had a 5-2 lead in the second set before losing 3 consecutive games. King then reset to win the last 2 games of that set. There were 4 service breaks up to 4-4 in the third set. The difference thereafter was that Van Zyl DuPlooy held her serve to take a 5-4 lead, followed by King losing her serve (and the match) for the third time in the final set. On match point, Van Zyl DuPlooy hit a forehand passing shot down-the-line for a winner.

The top three seeds in women's singles each lost in the quarterfinals on the same day. Second-seeded Ann Haydon Jones lost to Kerry Melville Reid 0-6, 6-4, 8-6, and third-seeded Maria Bueno lost to Françoise Durr 5 -7, 6-1, 6-4.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Christina Sandberg / Ulla Sandulf 6-2, 6-1
3R  d. Chantal Langanay / Irene de Lansalut 6-1, 3-6, retired
QF  lost to Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy / Patricia Walkden Pretorius 6-2, 6-4

After losing to AnnetteVan Zyl DuPlooy and Patricia Walkden Pretorius in the quarterfinals, King said, "They were good. We stunk."

King in mixed doubles with Owen Davidson:

1R  bye
2R  d. Margarita de Zuleta / Eduardo Zuleta 6-2, 6-4
3R  Advanced by walkover. Winnie Shaw Wooldridge / Ferenc Komaromi defaulted.
4R  d. Patricia Walkden Pretorius / John Cooper 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
QF  d. Gertrude Groenman Wahlof Hoolboom / Tom Okker 6-2, 6-4
SF  d. Christine Truman Janes / Robert Howe 6-2, 6-4
FN  d. Ann Haydon Jones / Ion Tiriac 6-3, 6-1

Week of June 5, 1967

Federation Cup

Blau-Weiss Tennis Club

West Berlin

Clay

General Note:

King defeated Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy in both singles and doubles, which was the opposite outcome of their matches at the just-completed French International Championships in Paris

U. S. team results:

2R  U. S. d. Rhodesia, 3-0
QF  U. S. d. South Africa, 3-0
SF  U. S. d. West Germany, 3-0
FN  U. S. d. United Kingdom, 3-0

King in singles:

2R  d. Patricia Walkden Pretorius 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
QF  d. Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy 6-2, 6-4
SF  d. Helga Niessen Masthoff 6-1, 7-5
FN  d. Ann Haydon Jones 6-3, 6-4

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

2R  d. Patricia Walkden Pretorius / Fiona McKenzie 6-3, 6-0 (dead rubber)
QF  d. Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy / Glenda Swan 7-5, 6-4 (dead rubber)
SF  d. Helga Schultze Hösl Thaw / Edda Buding Düchting 6-4, 2-6, 8-6 (dead rubber)
FN  versus Virginia Wade / Ann Haydon Jones 6-8, 9-7, unfinished (dead rubber)

Week of June 12, 1967

Kent Championships

Beckenham Cricket Club

Beckenham, United Kingdom

Grass

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Joyce Williams 8-6, 6-3
3R  d. Ingrid Lofdahl Bentzer 6-1, 6-2
QF  d. [8]  Karen Krantzcke 6-2, 6-3
SF  lost to [4]  Ann Haydon Jones 7-5, 6-8, 6-3 (35 games)

King's unreliable forehand was a major problem in the semifinals. She did not hit a forehand winner the entire match. Comparing today's forehand to the one that existed before winning the Wimbledon singles in 1966, King muttered, "That forehand brings back memories." King led 4-2 in the first set before losing 5 of the next 6 games and the set. In the second set, Haydon Jones could not win either game point that would have given her a 4-2 lead. King won that game plus the next 2 games for a 5-3 lead. Haydon Jones broke back to even the set at 5-5. King finally won that set 8-6. Haydon Jones established a 3-0 lead in the third set, but King then held serve and had a break point in the 5th game. But a doubtful line call enabled Haydon Jones to save the game for a 4-1 lead. King never seriously threatened after that.

In the quarterfinals, King "trounced" the defending champion, Karen Krantzcke.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

QF  (might be an earlier round) d. Winnie Shaw Wooldridge / Joyce Williams 4-6, 9-7, 7-5 (38 games)
SF  lost to Kerry Melville Reid / Karen Krantzcke 6-3, 6-4

Winnie Shaw Wooldridge and Joyce Williams four times were within 2 points of winning the quarterfinal.

Week of June 19, 1967

London Grass Court Championships

Queen's Club

London, United Kingdom

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

SF  Advanced by walkover. Ann Haydon Jones / Virginia Wade defaulted (refused to play indoors on wood).
FN  Not played because of rain.

Weeks of June 26 & July 2, 1967

Wimbledon

All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club

London, United Kingdom

Grass

General Note:

(1) King won all 3 titles. Doris Hart in 1951 was the last woman to sweep the titles.

(2) King played 7 of her 16 matches on Centre Court, with 2 more on Court 1.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  Centre Court: d. Ingrid Lofdahl Bentzer 8-6, 6-2
3R  Advanced by walkover. Elsie Veentnjer-Spruyt defaulted.
4R  d. Lea Pericoli Fontana 6-1, 6-2
QF  Centre Court: d. [8]  Virginia Wade 7-5, 6-2
SF  Centre Court: d. [NS]  Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin 6-0, 6-3
FN  Centre Court: d. [3]  Ann Haydon Jones 6-3, 6-4

The 60-minute final was played in a cold, blustery wind that especially hindered Ann Haydon Jones. King attacked her "strongly and relentlessly" the entire match. This kept the Brit under heavy pressure and denied her the time she likes for manuvering around the court. King jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set after hitting 4 backhand service return winners in the second game to break serve. King saved 2 break points at 5-3 (15-40) before winning the set 6-3 in 25 minutes. King broke serve and then held for a 2-0 lead in the second set. Haydon Jones held to close the gap to 1-2. King saved 6 break points in the fourth game, which had 6 deuces, before hitting 3 "beautifully played" cross-court backhand volleys to take a 3-1 lead. Haydon Jones held serve and broke King for the first time to tie the set at 3-3. Haydon Jones then had a game point to take a 4-3 lead, but King saved that point and broke to lead 4-3. King held her serve to increase the lead to 5-3. Haydon Jones held serve in the 9th game before King served out the match. The second set took 35 minutes.

Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin had never played on Centre Court before she played King in the semifinals. King remorselessly exploited her nervousness. The match was a "massacre" according to David Gray at The Guardian.

The quarterfinal match between King and Virginia Wade was "fought out at a tremendous pace." King "volleyed, smashed, and lobbed ... superbly." King won 28 points during Wade's 10 service games while Wade won only 11 points during King's 10 service games.

In the fourth round, the second (Maria Bueno) and fifth (Nancy Richey) seeds were upset. In the quarterfinals, the sixth seed (Lesley Turner Bowrey) lost. Haydon Jones then won her first Wimbledon semifinal on her sixth attempt.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [3] seed:

1R  d. Ada Bakker / Astrid Suurbeek 6-1, 6-1
2R  d. Ingrid Lofdahl Bentzer / Monique Salfati 6-3, 6-2
3R  d. Donna Floyd Fales / Betty Rosenquest Pratt 6-4, 6-2
QF  Court 1: d. Kerry Melville Reid / Karen Krantzcke 6-1, 6-3
SF  Centre Court: d. [2]  Ann Haydon Jones / Virginia Wade 6-1, 6-4
FN  Centre Court: d. [1]  Maria Bueno / Nancy Richey 9-11, 6-4, 6-2 (38 games)

The final, King's second of the day, was a match "full of graceful action and strokes." Rosemary Casals was "obviously bubbling over with her enjoyment of the occasion," which "contrasted sharply with the queenly movements and economy of effort" that Maria Bueno displayed throughout. King and Casals "gradually wore down" 1966 winners Bueno and Nancy Richey with the "speed of their close volleying."

In terms of games played, the 38 games played in the final tied for the longest women's doubles final in Wimbledon history (through 2018). In 1933, Elizabeth Ryan and Simone Mathieu defeated Freda James and Billie Yorke 6-2, 9-11, 6-4.

King in mixed doubles with Owen Davidson, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  Advanced by walkover. Elsie Veentjer-Spruyt / Jaime Pinto Bravo defaulted

3R  d. Betty Stöve / Robert Howe 6-1, 6-1
4R  d. Ingrid Lofdahl Bentzer / Patricio Cornejo 6-4, 6-0
QF  Court 1: d. [NS]  Jill Cottrill / John Cottrill 6-4, 6-1
SF  d. [4]  Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy / Frew McMillan 6-3, 3-6, 6-1
FN  Centre Court: d. [2]  Maria Bueno / Ken Fletcher 7-5, 6-2

The final was played in a relaxed atmosphere. King gave "no indication of tiredness" from playing in her third final in 6 hours and "maintained a consistently high standard of attack."

Week of July 17, 1967

U. S. National Clay Court Championships

Town Club

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U. S.

Clay

King in singles, seeded [1]:

1R  bye
2R  d. Ginger Pfeiffer 6-1, 6-1
3R  d. Marilyn Jane Aschner 6-1, 6-3
QF  d. [8]  Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin 6-1, 7-5
SF  lost to [3]  Rosemary Casals 6-4, 6-4

Rosemary Casals controlled the tempo of the semifinal with King by mixing hard and soft shots. Casals's topspin forehand particularly hurt King as her shots off those forehands often found the net. The highly anticipated final between King and Nancy Richey, who was attempting to win her fifth consecutive singles title here, never happened.

The umpire said there were 15 deuces in the 36-point first game of King's quarterfinal match with Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [1] seed:

QF  d. [NS]  Linda Tuero / Roberta Baumgardner 6-2, 6-1
SF  d. [NS]  Peachy Kellmeyer / Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz  7-5, 4-6, 7-5
FN  lost to Kerry Melville Reid / Karen Krantzcke 6-4, 6-1

Kerry Melville Reid and Karen Krantzcke won this title for the second consecutive year.

King and Rosemary Casals trailed 5-4 in the third set of their semifinal and saved 3 match points before coming back to win the match.

Week of July 31, 1967

Eastern Grass Court Championships

Orange Lawn Tennis Club

South Orange, New Jersey, U. S.

Grass

General Note:

This was the first tournament that King played with a metal racquet.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Mimi Kanarek Donegan 6-0, 6-1
3R  d. Kristy Pigeon Crawford 6-3, 6-3
QF  d. [NS]  Carole Caldwell Graebner 7-5, 6-1
SF  d. [4]  Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie 13-11, 3-6, 6-2 (41 games)
FN  d. [7]  Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin 4-6, 6-2, 6-3

King retired the tournament trophy by winning the singles title here for the third time in the last four years. In the final, King "was not up to the form which won her the Wimbledon title." However, she established an insurmountable lead in the third set by breaking serve in the second and sixth games. King had never before lost a set to Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin.

In the second round, King conceded only one game to Mimi Kanarek Donegan, the winner of the Eastern Clay Courts Championships.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

QF  d. Peachy Kellmeyer / Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz 6-3, 7-5
SF  d. Lynne Abbes / Valerie Ziegenfuss 10-8, 6-1
FN  d. Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie / Donna Floyd Fales 6-3, 13-15, 6-4 (47 games)

Week of August 7, 1967

Wightman Cup

Harold Clark Stadium

Cleveland, Ohio, U. S.

Hard

Final Result:

United States 6, United Kingdom 1

King in singles:

d. Virginia Wade 6-3, 6-2
d. Ann Haydon Jones 6-1, 6-2

Virginia Wade broke King for a 2-1 lead in the first set. King then won 4 consecutive games for a 5-2 lead. In the second set, an in-form King hit 15 winners plus 2 aces, which accounted for half of her points.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

d. Ann Haydon Jones / Virginia Wade 10-8, 6-4

Week of August 14, 1967

Essex County Club Invitational

Essex County Club

Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts, U. S.

Grass

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Ann Moore 6-1, 6-2
3R  d. Esme Emanuel Faerber 6-1, 6-2
QF  d. [7]  Virginia Wade 6-4, 6-4
SF  d. [NS]  Karen Krantzcke 6-3, 7-5
FN  d. [8]  Kerry Melville Reid 8-6, 6-1

King retired the tournament trophy by winning this title for the third time in the last four years. The last woman to win this tournament three times was Margaret Osborne DuPont, who won her third title in 1950. King needed only 56 minutes to defeat Kerry Melville Reid in the final. There were no service breaks in the first set until the last game. Melville Reid had a (30-15) lead while serving at 6-7 to stay in the set. But King won the next 3 points to take a one set lead.

King trailed 3-0 in the second set of her quarterfinal match with Virginia Wade. King then won 6 of the next 7 games to remain undefeated against Wade.

King led by a set and a break at 3-1 during her semifinal match with Karen Krantzcke. Unfazed, the Australian put the set back on serve while winning 3 consecutive games and taking a 4-3 lead. Krantzcke served herself to a 5-5 (40-0) lead, but then lost 3 consecutive game points plus 4 additional game points. King finally broke the discouraged Australian to earn a 6-5 lead and then closed out the match on her own service.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [1] seed:

2R  d. Peachy Kellmeyer / Chris Safford Beck 6-3, 6-3
QF  lost to [NS]  Winnie Shaw Wooldridge / Joyce Williams 8-6, 7-5

The British team almost defeated King and Rosemary Casals in the quarterfinals of the Kent Championships in June. Four different times, they were just 2 points from winning but could not close out the Americans. They did not blink this time. The Associated Press described this as a "stunning upset."

Week of August 21, 1967

U. S. National Doubles Championships

Longwood Cricket Club

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Grass

General Note:

Shirley Fry Irvin (40 years old) and Betty Rosenquest Pratt (42 years old) teamed to win the national senior women's doubles title.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Louise Gonnerman Feingold / Patricia Stewart Erdich 6-2, 6-2
3R  d. [10]  Esme Emanuel Faerber / Maryna Godwin Proctor 7-5, 6-4
QF  d. [5]  Lesley Turner Bowrey / Carole Caldwell Graebner 6-3, 6-3
SF  d. [8]  Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy / Patricia Walkden Pretorius 6-3, 6-2
FN  d. [3]  Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie / Donna Floyd Fales 4-6, 6-3, 6-4

King won her second U. S. women's doubles national championship in 5 attempts. Her previous title was with Karen Hantze Susman in 1964.

With Rosemary Casals serving at 4-6, 3-3 (40-40) in the final and King having a miserable day with her own service, the top seeds were in real danger of losing the match. But Casals scraped through a hold. In the very next game, Donna Floyd Fales lost her serve primarily because of Casals's sterling play, and King then held her serve to win the second set. King served much better in the final set. King and Casals won the title on their third match point.

King and Casals easily won their semifinal match in 38 minutes.

King in mixed doubles with Owen Davidson, [1] seed:

1R  d. Joyce Williams / George Seewagen 6-4, 6-4
2R  d. Donna Floyd Fales / Paul Sullivan 6-2, 6-2
QF  d. Mary Ann Eisel Curtis Beattie / Peter Curtis 6-4, 6-3
SF  d. Kristy Pigeon Crawford / Terry Addison 6-4, 6-4
FN  d. [NS]  Rosemary Casals / Stan Smith 6-3, 6-2

Weeks of August 28 & September 4, 1967

U. S. National Championships

West Side Tennis Club

Forest Hills, Borough of Queens, New York City

Grass

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Becky Vest 6-2, 6-2
3R  d. Patti Hogan Fordyce 6-4, 6-3
4R  d. [9]  Virginia Wade 6-1, 6-4
QF  d. [11]  Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy 6-1, 6-4
SF  d. [3]  Françoise Durr 6-2, 6-4
FN  d. [2]  Ann Haydon Jones 11-9, 6-4 http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=71930
http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/78750/Billie_Jean_King_Defeats_Haydon_Jones_At_U.s._Open _-_HD/http://www.efootage.com/stock-footage/78750/Billie_Jean_King_Defeats_Haydon_Jones_At_U.s._Open _-_HD/

Ann Haydon Jones pulled her left hamstring muscle early in the final and saved four match points in the second set before King prevailed.

Week of September 18, 1967

Pacific Southwest Championships

Los Angeles Tennis Club

Los Angeles, California, U. S.

Hard

General Note:

Dorothy Bundy Cheney, at age 51, trounced fourth-seeded Karen Krantzcke in the third round of singles 6-2, 6-2. She made it all the way to the quarterfinals where she lost to 17 year old Kristy Pigeon Crawford 6-3, 4-6, 6-0. Had she won that match, she would have played King in the semifinals. She and her daughter Christine lost badly to King and Rosemary Casals in the doubles quarterfinals.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  d. Mary Larreco 6-0, 6-0
2R  d. Mira Panajotovic Vukelich 6-0, 6-1
3R  d. Connie Jaster 9-7, 6-0
QF  d. Faye Urban 6-3, 6-4
SF  d. Kristy Pigeon Crawford 6-3, 6-1
FN  d. [2]  Rosemary Casals 6-0, 6-4

King won the singles title at this tournament for the first time in her career, without dropping a set. Casals played poorly in the first set and at the start of the second set. King broke her serve 4 consecutive times. After that, Casals played much better but could not overcome King's momentum.

King's semifinal match with 17 year old Kristy Pigeon Crawford lasted only 40 minutes. King broke her serve in the third and ninth games of the first set and the fourth and sixth games of the second set.

King saved 2 set points at 5-6 (15-40) in the first set of her third round match with Connie Jaster.

King won her first round match with Mary Larreco in 28 minutes. King lost only 2 points in the first set and 9 points in the second set.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

1R  d. Madeline Mandel Einstein / Teri Schwartz 6-1, 6-1
2R  d. Gertrude Hauswald Dockstader Irish / Doreen Irish 6-2, 6-2
QF  d. Dorothy Bundy Cheney / Christine Cheney 6-0, 6-0
SF  d. Kristy Pigeon Crawford / Pam Teeguarden 6-0, 6-0
FN  d. Carole Caldwell Graebner / Valerie Ziegenfuss 5-7, 6-3, 6-2

King and Casals could not hold a 5-3 lead in the first set of the final, losing 4 consecutive games. But they were the far superior team the rest of the match.

Mixed doubles:

The event was held beginning the previous week, but King did not enter because she was playing exhibitions in the U. S. midwest.

Week of September 25, 1967

Pacific Coast International Championships

Berkeley Tennis Club

Berkeley, California, U. S.

Hard

General Notes:

(1) Julie Heldman snapped King's 25-match and 40-set winning streaks in the quarterfinals. King's last defeat had been to Rosemary Casals in July in the semifinals of the U. S. National Clay Court Championships. King's last loss of a set had been in August at the Eastern Grass Court Championships. King lost the first set of the final there to Kathleen Harter Marcus Shubin.

(2) King's winning streaks were snapped on the same day that she was named the top woman amateur player in the annual London Daily Telegraph poll. Ann Haydon Jones finished second, Françoise Durr third, Nancy Richey fourth, Lesley Turner Bowrey fifth, Rosemary Casals sixth, Maria Bueno seventh, Virginia Wade eighth, Kerry Melville Reid ninth, and Judy Tegart Dalton tenth.

King in singles, [1] seed:

1R  bye
2R  d. Denise Carter Triolo 6-3, 6-3
QF  lost to [NS] Julie Heldman 6-8, 8-6, 6-3 (37 games)

The third set of the quarterfinal was on serve at 2-3 with Julie Heldman serving. She won her serve and then broke King for a 4-3 lead. King made 4 errors during Heldman's next service game, falling further behind at 3-5. Heldman then broke King again to win the match.

King in women's doubles with Rosemary Casals:

3R  d. Barbara Downs / Mary Hill 6-3, 6-1
SF  d. Carole Caldwell Graebner / Julie Heldman 9-7, 6-3
FN  d. Françoise Durr / Judy Tegart Dalton 6-3, 6-4