Wightman, Hazel Hotchkiss

Wightman, Hazel Hotchkiss

 orig. Hazel Virginia Hotchkiss

(born Dec. 20, 1886, Healdsburg, Calif., U.S.—died Dec. 5, 1974, Newton, Mass.) U.S. tennis player. She was a dominant competitor in the pre-World War I years, winning nine national tennis titles in the years 1909–11 alone. She won a lifetime total of 45 U.S. titles, the last at age 68. She was instrumental in establishing an annual match between British and U.S. women's teams; the Wightman Cup competition, first held in 1923, continued until 1989. She served as captain of the U.S. team from its inception until 1948.