Dorothy Cheney

This article is about the tennis player. For the primate biologist, see Dorothy Cheney (scientist).

Dorothy Bundy Cheney

Bundy in 1929
Full name	Dorothy May Sutton Bundy Cheney
Country (sports)	United States
Born	(1916-09-01)September 1, 1916 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	November 23, 2014(2014-11-23) (aged 98) Escondido, California, U.S.
Int. Tennis HoF	2004 (member page)
Singles
Highest ranking	World No. 6 (1946, John Olliff)
Grand Slam singles results
Australian Open	W (1938)
French Open	SF (1946)
Wimbledon	SF (1946)
US Open	SF (1937, 1938, 1943, 1944)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
Australian Open	F (1938)
US Open	F (1940, 1941)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	F (1946)
Wimbledon	F (1946)
US Open	F (1940, 1944)

Dorothy "Dodo" May Sutton Bundy Cheney (September 1, 1916 – November 23, 2014) was an American tennis player from her youth into her 90s. In 1938, Bundy was the first American to win the women's singles title at the Australian National Championships, defeating Dorothy Stevenson in the final.

Personal life

Cheney was born in Los Angeles, the daughter of Tennis Hall of Famer May Sutton Bundy (1886–1975) and U.S. men's doubles champion Tom Bundy (1881–1945). She was the grandmother of former Major League Baseball player Danny Putnam. Cheney died on November 23, 2014, in Escondido, California at the age of 98.

Tennis career

According to A. Wallis Myers and John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail, Bundy Cheney was ranked in the world top 10 in 1937 and 1946 (no rankings issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of sixth in 1946.

The United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) included Bundy Cheney in its year-end, top-ten rankings of U.S. players from 1936 through 1941, 1943 through 1946, and in 1955. She was ranked third in 1937, 1938, and 1941.

Bundy was a member of the victorious U.S. Wightman Cup teams from 1937 through 1939.

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.

Cheney was still competing in selected top level events at the age of 51. In 1967, she defeated a seeded player, Karen Krantzcke, in the third round of the Pacific Southwest Championships in straight sets.

Her win-loss singles records against some elite players were as follows:

• 7–2 Doris Hart
• 4–1 Billie Jean King
• 4–2 Shirley Fry
• 6–5 Margaret Osborne duPont
• 0–1 Althea Gibson, Angela Mortimer, Ann Haydon
• 0–1 Christine Truman, Lesley Turner, Nancy Richey
• 2–4 Maureen Connolly
• 0–2 Helen Jacobs, Rosemary Casals
• 8–11 Sarah Palfrey
• 0–3 Carole Caldwell
• 1–5 Darlene Hard
• 1–6 Karen Hantze Susman
• 4–10 Louise Brough
• 1–9 Alice Marble
• 1–15 Beverly Baker Fleitz
• 8–25 Pauline Betz

By the end of her senior age-groups playing career, Cheney had amassed 394 USTA titles — a record.

Grand Slam and other singles tournaments

In the first singles match of her career at any Grand Slam tournament, Bundy upset second-seeded Sarah Palfrey Fabyan in the first round of the 1936 U.S. National Championships. Bundy ultimately lost in the quarterfinals.

The first nine times that Bundy Cheney played singles at the U.S. National Championships, she reached at least the quarterfinals. During those (and other) years, she had no "bad" losses at Grand Slam singles tournaments. Her losses were as follows

Bundy Cheney also had several significant singles wins at Grand Slam tournaments:

Year	Tournament	Round	Opponent	Opponent's Seeding
1936	U.S. National Championships	1R	Sarah Palfrey Fabyan	Second
1937	U.S. National Championships	3R	Marie Horn	Fourth foreign
1937	U.S. National Championships	QF	Alice Marble	First
1938	U.S. National Championships	2R	Margaret Osborne	None
1938	U.S. National Championships	QF	Simone Mathieu	Second foreign
1939	U.S. National Championships	3R	Freda James	Fifth foreign
1941	U.S. National Championships	3R	Patricia Canning Todd	None
1943	U.S. National Championships	QF	Margaret Osborne	Third
1944	U.S. National Championships	2R	Patricia Canning Todd	None
1944	U.S. National Championships	QF	Doris Hart	Second
1946	Wimbledon Championships	4R	Betty Nuthall	None
1946	Wimbledon Championships	QF	Katherine Stammers	None

Cheney won the singles title at the 1944 Tri-Cities Championships in Cincinnati, defeating Betz in the final. The following year, Cheney was the singles runner-up at that tournament.

Grand Slam and other women's doubles tournaments

Bundy Cheney was a three-time runner-up in Grand Slam women's doubles tournaments: 1938 Australian National Championships, 1940 U.S. National Championships, and 1941 U.S. National Championships.

Cheney won the women's doubles title at the 1944 and 1945 Tri-Cities Championships in Cincinnati.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (1 title)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1938	Australian Championships	Grass	Dorothy Stevenson	6–3, 6–2

Doubles (3 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1938	Australian Championships	Grass	Dorothy Workman	Nancye Wynne Thelma Coyne Long	7–9, 4–6
Loss	1940	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Marjorie Gladman Van Ryn	Alice Marble Sarah Palfrey	3–6, 7–9
Loss	1941	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Pauline Betz	Margaret Osborne Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–3, 1–6, 4–6

Mixed doubles (4 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1940	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Jack Kramer	Alice Marble Bobby Riggs	7–9, 1–6
Loss	1944	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Don McNeill	Margaret Osborne Bill Talbert	2–6, 3–6
Loss	1946	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	Geoff Brown	Louise Brough Tom Brown	4–6, 4–6
Loss	1946	French Championships	Clay	Tom Brown	Pauline Betz Budge Patty	5–7, 7–9

Other singles finals (21 titles, 26 runner-ups)

Result	Week of	Tournament	Surface	Opponent	Score
Won	Apr 5, 1937	Ambassador Hotel Invitational Los Angeles, California	Hard	Barbara Winslow	6–4, 8–6
Won	Apr 19, 1937	Ojai Tennis Tournament Ojai, California, U.S.	Hard	Barbara Winslow	6–2, 6–2
Won	May 3, 1937	Southern California Sectional Championships Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Gracyn Wheeler	6–1, 6–8, 7–5
Lost	Jun 28, 1937	Hotel del Coronado Invitational Coronado, California, U.S.	Hard	Bonnie Miller Blank	5–7, 4–6
Won	Jul 12, 1937	Colorado State Championships Denver Country Club Denver, Colorado, U.S.	Clay	Carolin Babcock	4–6, 6–0, 6–3
Won	Dec 6, 1937	Victorian Championships Kooyong Lawn Tennis Club Melbourne, Australia	Grass	Nancye Wynne	6–4, 1–6, 6–4
Won	Apr 18, 1938	Ambassador Hotel Invitational Ambassador Tennis Club Los Angeles, California	Hard	May Doeg Smith	8–6, 3–6, 6–2
Won	Apr 25, 1938	Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament Ojai, California, U.S.	Hard	Gertrude Bishop Bixler	6–3, 6–3
Lost	May 23, 1938	Middlesex Championships Chiswick Tennis Club London, United Kingdom	Grass	Jadwiga Jędrzejowska	5–7, 2–6
Lost	Jul 11, 1938	Scottish Championships Peebles, Scotland	Grass	Mary Hardwick	2–6, 5–7
Lost	Jul 25, 1938	Seabright Invitational Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club Rumson, New Jersey, U.S.	Grass	Alice Marble	2–6, 2–6
Lost	Aug 8, 1938	Eastern Grass Court Championships Westchester Country Club Rye, New York, U.S.	Grass	Alice Marble	5–7, 0–6
Won	Sep 26, 1938	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Sarah Palfrey Fabyan	6–4, 6–4
Won	Jan 9, 1939	Palm Springs Invitational Palm Springs Tennis Club Palm Springs, California, U.S.	Hard	Mary Arnold Prentiss	6–4, 6–2
Won	Jun 26, 1939	Colorado State Championships Denver Country Club Denver, Colorado, U.S.	Clay	Marjorie Gladman Van Ryn	6–3, 4–6, 6–4
Lost	Sep 25, 1939	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Alice Marble	7–9, 1–6
Lost	Jan 8, 1940	Palm Springs Invitational El Mirador Tennis Club Palm Springs, California, U.S.	Hard	Helen Bernhard	3–6, 4–6
Won	Apr 15, 1940	Beverley Hills Invitational Beverley Hills, California, U.S.	Hard	Helen Bernhard	6–2, 7–5
Won	Apr 22, 1940	Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament Ojai, California, U.S.	Hard	Pauline Betz	6–4, 6–4
Won	Jun 24, 1940	Hotel del Coronado Invitational Coronado, California, U.S.	Hard	Louise Brough	3–6, 6–1, 6–4
Won	Jul 8, 1940	Colorado State Championships Denver, Colorado, U.S.	Clay	Esther Bartosh	7–5, 6–4
Lost	Jul 15, 1940	Eastern Clay Court Championships Jackson Heights Tennis Club New York City, U.S.	Clay	Virginia Wolfenden	6–4, 4–6, 3–6
Won	Jul 29, 1940	Maidstone Invitational Maidstone Lawn Tennis Club East Hampton, New York, U.S.	Grass	Gracyn Wheeler	6–2, 6–3
Won	Sep 16, 1940	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Valerie Scott	6–3, 6–3
Won	Nov 11, 1940	Championships of the Argentine Buenos Aires, Argentina	Clay	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–1, 4–6, 6–3
Won	Nov 25, 1940	International Tournament of Uruguay Montevideo, Uruguay	Clay	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–4, 7–9, 6–3
Lost	Dec 2, 1940	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Clay	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	8–6, 3–6, 3–6
Lost	Dec 9, 1940	Championship of the Fluminense Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	Clay	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	2–6, 1–6
Lost	Jan 20, 1941	Florida West Coast Championships St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.	Clay	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	5–7, 1–6
Lost	Feb 3, 1941	South Florida Championships West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.	Clay	Pauline Betz	4–6, 1–6
Lost	Feb 24, 1941	Southeastern Sectional Championships Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.	Clay	Pauline Betz	4–6, 9–11
Lost	Jun 23, 1941	Hotel del Coronado Invitational Coronado, California, U.S.	Hard	Louise Brough	2–6, 11–9, 2–6
Lost	Sep 15, 1941	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	3–6, 5–7
Lost	Nov 17, 1941	Championships of the Argentine Buenos Aires, Argentina	Clay	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–3, 7–9, 5–7
Won	Jun 12, 1944	U.S. Clay Court Championships Detroit Tennis Club Detroit, Michigan, U.S.	Clay	Mary Arnold Prentiss	7–5, 6–4
Won	Jun 19, 1944	Tri-State Championships Cincinnati Tennis Club Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.	Clay	Pauline Betz	7–5, 6–4
Lost	Jul 3, 1944	Western Sectional Championships Neenah, Wisconsin, U.S.	Clay	Pauline Betz	1–6, 2–6
Lost	Jul 10, 1944	Chicago Open River Forest Tennis Club River Forest, Illinois, U.S.	Clay	Mary Arnold Prentiss	7–9, 4–6
Lost	Aug 20, 1945	Maidstone Invitational Maidstone Lawn Tennis Club East Hampton, New York, U.S.	Grass	Sarah Palfrey Cooke	6–8, 4–6
Lost	1946	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles Tennis Club Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Pauline Betz	2–6, 2–6
Lost	1950	Pacific Southwest Championships Los Angeles Tennis Club Los Angeles, U.S.	Hard	Helen Pastall Perez	2–6, 2–6
Lost	Jun 22, 1953	Hotel del Coronado Invitational Coronado, California, U.S.	Hard	Beverly Baker Fleitz	6–4, 6–8, 1–6
Lost	Aug 3, 1953	Balboa Bay Club Invitational, Newport Beach, California, U.S.	Hard	Beverly Baker Fleitz	4–6, 5–7
Lost	Sep 7, 1953	Santa Monica City Tournament Santa Monica, California, U.S.	Hard	Beverly Baker Fleitz	4–6, 4–6
Lost	Apr 30, 1956	Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament Ojai, California, U.S.	Hard	Beverly Baker Fleitz	5–7, 2–6
Won	Aug 26, 1957	Santa Monica City Tournament Santa Monica, California, U.S.	Hard	Beverly Baker Fleitz	6–3, 0–6, 6–4
Lost	Oct 21, 1957	Balboa Bay Club Invitational Newport Beach, California, U.S.	Hard	Beverly Baker Fleitz	4–6, 1–6

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	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	19461	19471	1948	1949 - 1954	1955	1956 - 1958	1959	Career SR
Australian Championships	A	A	W	A	A	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1 / 1
French Championships	A	A	A	A	NH	R	R	R	R	A	SF	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 1
Wimbledon Championships	A	A	4R	A	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	NH	SF	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 2
U. S. National Championships	QF	SF	SF	QF	QF	QF	A	SF	SF	QF	1R	A	2R	A	3R	A	1R	0 / 13
SR	0 / 1	0 / 1	1 / 3	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 1	0 / 3	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	0 / 0	0 / 1	1 / 17

R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.

¹In 1946 and 1947, the French International Championships were held after the Wimbledon Championships.

See also

• Performance timelines for all female tennis players who reached at least one Grand Slam final

External links

• Dorothy Cheney at the International Tennis Hall of Fame