The Wightman Cup was a relic of a bygone era, a two-country competition that placed the United States and the United Kingdom atop an international pedestal. It awarded no prize money, and when the Open era first dawned, it excluded professionals outright.
Yet in 1973, the Wightman Cup celebrated a triumphant 50th anniversary. Its founder, 86-year-old Hall of Fame trailblazer Hazel Wightman, attended the matches and collected plaudits from around the world. Queen Elizabeth II named her a Commander of the British Empire.
Interest in the matches was as high as ever. Many tennis fans in Boston had yet to see 18-year-old Chris Evert in person, so they packed the grandstand at the Longwood Cricket Club. Two years earlier, Chrissie had been the youngest competitor in Wightman Cup history. This year, the record would be broken by her younger sister Jeanne.
The only concern was the lack of a strong challenge for the hosts. The visiting Brits would be led by captain Virginia Wade. The rest of the squad was barely known in England, let alone abroad. Boston Globe columnist Bud Collins dubbed the anonymous group of Lindsay Beaven, Veronica Burton, Lesley Charles, and Glynis Coles “the Phantom Fillies,” and in a sharper dig, “the Lightest Brigade.”
Much rested, then, on Wade’s performance. The best-of-seven series opened on August 24th with the marquee match: Ginny versus Chrissie. Evert had won their Wightman Cup encounters each of the previous two years, but Wade was riding a two-match winning streak against the youngster. At a Dallas tournament in March, the Brit had held on for a 9-7, third-set victory.
With Mrs. Wighty looking on, Evert was unforgiving. Wade played well, but it wasn’t enough. “Whatever Virginia did sensationally,” wrote Collins, “Chris countered superlatively.” The veteran broke back for 3-all in the first set, but Evert reeled off five straight games to take the set and build a lead in the second. In 64 minutes, it was over: 6-4, 6-2, to the Americans.
The first match was a representative preview of the rest. Wade continued to stand up for the colors, defeating Patti Hogan in her second singles and contributing to a straight-set doubles victory with Coles. Alas, the rest of the Lightest Brigade proved the truth in Collins’s jibe. None of the other Brits won a set in singles. The series concluded when even 15-year-old Jeanne Evert got on the board, partnering Hogan to a 6-3, 4-6, 8-6 victory in the final doubles.
Anachronism that it was, the Wightman Cup continued to engage fans on both sides of the Atlantic. Americans could watch their best prospects debut on a big stage, and Brits could cheer for the occasional upset that kept the series interesting. The 16-nation Federation Cup made more sense, and the weekly smattering of pro events were better suited to the era. But the Wightman Cup retained a certain cachet, and in the tennis world of 1973, that still counted for something.
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This post is part of my series about the 1973 season, Battles, Boycotts, and Breakouts. Keep up with the project by checking the TennisAbstract.com front page, which shows an up-to-date Table of Contents after I post each installment.
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