Ann Haydon-Jones

Career Table tennis Jones was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham, England. Her parents were prominent table tennis players, her father, Adrian Haydon, having been English number 1 and a competitor at world championships between 1928 and 1953. Ann was ambidextrous when she was small, but her parents told her to choose one hand or the other which led her to choose to be left-handed. Ann, as a young girl, also took up the game, participating in five world championships in the 1950s, the best result being losing finalist in singles, doubles and mixed doubles all in Stockholm 1957. Soon after this she wrote the book Tackle Table Tennis This Way.

Jones also won two English Open titles in women's doubles as Haydon.

Tennis

Jones was also a powerful lawn tennis player, winning the 1954 and 1955 British junior championships. In 1956, she won the Wimbledon girls' singles championship.

Jones played lawn tennis in a highly competitive era that included some of the greatest female tennis players of all time, such as Billie Jean King, Margaret Court, and Maria Bueno. Despite the fierce competition, she won the 1961 French Championships, Jones won the French title for a second time in 1966, beating Maria Bueno and Nancy Richey. making her the first left-handed female player to do so. She rounded off that year's Wimbledon by winning the mixed doubles championship with Australia's Fred Stolle. Her performances resulted in her being voted the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

According to Mark Lewisohn in The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, on 4 July 1969, The Beatles paused the dubbing session for their song "Golden Slumbers" to listen to Jones beat King for the Wimbledon title when live on radio.

With the dawn of the open era in 1968, Jones joined King and others to organise the first professional female touring group. In 1970, she was hired by the BBC as a guest commentator In the U.S. Nationals, as well as her final appearances in 1961 and 1967, Ann Jones reached three semifinals: in 1959, beating second-seed Sandra Reynolds (Price) and losing to Christine Truman; in 1963, beating second-seed Darlene Hard and losing 9–7 in the third set to eventual winner Maria Bueno; and in 1968, losing to eventual winner Virginia Wade.

As well as winning the French Championships twice, Jones reached three other French finals, beating Annette Van Zyl and losing to Nancy Richey in 1968, and beating Rosemary Casals and Lesley Turner and losing in three sets to Margaret Court in 1969. Of her three losing finals in the French championships, there was one which nearly added to her total of wins: 1963 when she led Lesley Turner 5–2 in the final set. She also reached the semifinals in 1957 aged 18, beating third seed Christiane Mercelis and losing a tough semifinal to Dorothy Head Knode, and in 1962 beating Jan Lehane and losing to Lesley Turner.

In the British Hard Courts championships, after losing in the finals in 1958 to Shirley Bloomer Brasher and 1960 to Christine Truman, she was undefeated from 1963 to 1966, winning finals against Norma Baylon, Jan Lehane, Annette Van Zyl and Virginia Wade. She was a stalwart in the Wightman Cup from 1957 (aged 18, beating Darlene Hard, then Wimbledon finalist) to 1967, 1970 and 1975, winning the deciding match in 1958 against Mimi Arnold when Britain won for the first time since 1930, taking both her singles against Billie Jean Moffitt and Nancy Richey in 1965 and overall winning nine singles and six doubles. Despite playing at a time when there were four other British winners of the French, Australian, US and Wimbledon titles, (Mortimer, Brasher, Truman and Wade), she was ranked no. 1 in the UK on seven occasions. Naturally a baseliner and effective as such on clay (Tiiu Kivi said it was like playing a brick wall that moved), she schooled herself to become a most effective net player, perhaps seen at her best when attacking Margaret Court to defeat in the Wimbledon semifinal of 1969. Apart from Althea Gibson, early in her career, there was not a leading player of her era that she did not beat on several occasions.

Personal life In 1971 she published her tennis autobiography A Game to Love.

Jones attracted media attention on 30 August 1962 when she married businessman Philip "Pip" Jones (1907–1993) who was 31 years her senior. Pip Jones became the first Tour Director of the Virginia Slims Women's Tennis Tour in 1971.

In 1969, West Bromwich Albion commended Ann Jones on her sporting success and stated that she and her husband were supporters of the club.

Jones is portrayed by Australian actress Cazz Bainbridge in the 2026 ABC TV Mini Series Goolagong.

Awards In 1985, Jones was voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The stadium court at the Edgbaston Priory Tennis Club was renamed the Ann Jones Centre Court in 2013.

Grand Slam finals Including: Moroccan International Championships Clay Jacqueline Rees-Lewis 6-0, 6-2

34. 1960 West German Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Sheila Armstrong 6-3, 6-0

35. 1960 Palace Hotel Covered Courts Championships Wood (i) Angela Mortimer 6-4, 6-2

36. 1961 Good Neighbor Championships Clay Suzie Körmöczy 6-0, 6-1

37. 1961 French Championships Clay Yola Ramírez 6–2, 6–1

38. 1961 Wolverhampton Open Grass Lynne Hutchings 6-0, 6-1

39. 1961 Lowther Open Grass Shirley Brasher 6-1, 6-2

40. 1961 Irish Championships Grass Kathy Chabot 6-0, 6-3

41. 1961 Welsh Championships Grass Jill Mills 4–6, 6–2, 6–2

42. 1961 Canadian Championships Grass Ann Barclay 6-4, 6-0

43. 1961 Chilean National Championships Clay Lea Pericoli 6–4, 7–5

44. 1961 São Paulo International Championships Clay Lea Pericoli 6-4, 6-1

45. 1962 Western Province Championships Hard Sandra Reynolds Price 6-4, 6-1

46. 1962 Hulett Natal Sugar Open Championships Hard Annette Van Zyl 6-2, 6-0

47. 1962 Scandinavian Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Deidre Catt 6-2, 6-4

48. 1962 French Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Rosie Darmon 6-3, 6-1

49. 1962 British Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Christine Truman 6–4, 4–6, 9–7

50. 1962 Cumberland Hard Court Championships Clay Lorna Cawthorn 6-2, 6-1

51. 1962 Sutton Hard Court Championships Clay Deidre Catt 6-2, 6-1

52. 1962 London Hard Court Championships Clay Christine Truman 6-4, 6-1

53. 1962 East Gloucestershire Championships Grass Renée Schuurman 6-2, 8-6

54. 1962 Midland Counties Championships Grass Rita Bentley divided title

55. 1962 Welsh Championships Grass Jill Mills 6-4, 6-3

56. 1962 Palace Tournament Clay Angela Mortimer 6–3, 4–6, 6–2

57. 1963 Coupe Pierre Gillou Wood (i) Michelle Boulle 6-2, 6-1

58. 1963 German Indoor Championships Wood (i) Christiane Mercelis 6–1, 4–6, 8–6

59. 1963 Scandinavian Indoor Championships Wood (i) Deidre Catt 6-0, 6-1

60. 1963 French Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Janine Lieffrig 8-6, 6-1

61. 1963 Carlton International Clay Mary Habicht 6-0, 6-1

62. 1963 Surrey Hard Court Championships Clay Carol Rosser divided title

63. 1963 British Hard Court Championships Clay Norma Baylon 6–0, 1–6, 9–7

64. 1963 London Hard Court Championships Clay Christine Truman 6–4, 4–6, 6–2

65. 1963 Wolverhampton Open Grass Renée Schuurman 9–7, 1–6, 6–4

66. 1963 East Gloucestershire Championships Grass Renée Schuurman 7-5, 9-7

67. 1963 Hoylake and West Kirby Open Grass Jill Blackman 6-2, 6-1

68. 1963 Carlyon Bay Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Deidre Catt 6-4, 6-3

69. 1964 British Hard Court Championships Clay Jan Lehane 6-2, 12-10

70. 1964 Sutton Coldfield Hard Courts Championship Clay Rita Bentley 1–6, 8–6, 6–4

71. 1964 Surrey Grass Court Championships Grass Carole Caldwell 6-3, 6-1

72. 1964 Bavarian International Championships Clay Annette Van Zyl 3–6, 6–2, 6–4

73. 1964 British Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Fay Toyne 6-3, 6-3

74. 1964 Carlyon Bay Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Fay Toyne 9-7, 6-4

75. 1964 Palace Hotel Covered Courts Championships Wood (i) Deidre Catt 6-3, 7-5

76. 1965 French Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Elizabeth Starkie 6–3, 6–8, 6–2

77. 1965 Dutch Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Fay Toyne 6-0, 6-2

78. 1965 Cumberland Hard Court Championships Clay Christine Truman 4–6, 6–3, 10-8

79. 1965 Surrey Hard Court Championships Clay Winnie Shaw 6-3, 6-0

80. 1965 British Hard Court Championships Clay Annette Van Zyl 7-5, 6-1

81. 1965 British Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Fay Toyne 6-2, 6-1

82. 1965 Carlyon Bay Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Virginia Wade 7-5, 6-2

83. 1965 Palace Hotel Covered Courts Championships Wood (i) Trish Faulkner 6-1, 6-1

84. 1966 German Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Helga Niessen 7–9, 7–5, 6–3

85. 1966 French Covered Court Championships Wood (i) Frances MacLennan 6-2, 6-1

86. 1966 Cumberland Hard Court Championships Clay Elizabeth Starkie 6-2, 6-2

87. 1966 Connaught Hard Court Championships Clay Virginia Wade 6-4, 6-3

88. 1966 British Hard Court Championships Clay Virginia Wade 6-3, 6-1

89. 1966 Italian International Championships Clay Annette Van Zyl 8-6, 6-1

90. 1966 French Championships Clay Nancy Richey 6–2, 6–1

91. 1966 Moscow International Outdoor Championships Clay Anna Dmitrieva 6-1, 6-3

92. 1967 German Indoor Championships Wood (i) Ingrid Loeys 6-1, 6-1

93. 1967 Scandinavian Indoor Championships Wood (i) Galina Baksheeva 6–2, 4–6, 6–4

94. 1967 Dixie International Championships Clay Françoise Dürr 6-4, 8-6

95. 1967 City of Barranquilla Championships Clay Françoise Dürr 6-3, 6-4

96. 1967 Caracas International Championships Clay Virginia Wade 6-2, 6-3

97. 1967 Curaçao International Championships Clay Françoise Dürr 6-1, 6-2

98. 1967 Pan American Championships Clay Elena Subirats 6-4, 6-3

99. 1967 Caribe Hilton Invitational Clay Virginia Wade 7-5, 6-1

100. 1967 Masters Invitational Clay Jan O'Neill 6–4, 1–6, 6–3

101. 1967 Kent Championships Grass Virginia Wade 6–3, 1–6, 6–3

102. 1967 Essex Championships Grass Gail Sherriff 6-0, 6-2

103. 1968 Copa Altimira International Invitation Clay Julie Heldman 6-0, 6-2

104. 1968 Aix-en-Provence Pros Hard Françoise Dürr divided title

105. 1968 Madison Square Garden Pro Hard (i) Billie Jean King 6-4, 6-4

106. 1968 London Open Grass Court Championships Grass Nancy Richey divided title

107. 1968 Colonial Pro Invitation Clay Billie Jean King 6-1, 6-2

108. 1968 South Texas Invitational Pro Tennis Championship Hard Rosemary Casals 6-2, 6-2

109. 1968 South American Open Championships Clay Nancy Richey default

110. 1969 New Zealand Open Grass Karen Krantzcke 6-1, 6-1

111. 1969 Monte Carlo Open Clay Virginia Wade 6-1, 6-3

112. 1969 Nagoya Pros Hard Françoise Dürr 6-3, 6-1

113. 1969 Osaka Pros Hard Françoise Dürr 6-2, 2-0 ret.

114. 1969 Belgian International Open Clay Rosie Casals 6-4, 6-0

115. 1969 Rothmans London Grass Court Open Grass Winnie Shaw 6-0, 6-1

116. 1969 Wimbledon Championships Grass Billie Jean King 3–6, 6–3, 6–2

117. 1969 Golden Racquet Open Clay Françoise Dürr 6-1, 6-1

118. 1969 Monte-Carlo Open Championships Clay Virginia Wade 6–2, 6–3

119. 1969 British Open Indoors Carpet (i) Billie Jean King 6-1, 6-1

120. 1970 Orange Free State Championships Hard Peaches Bartkowicz 6-4, 8-6

121. 1970 Western Province Championships Hard Peaches Bartkowicz 6-1, 6-2

122. 1970 New Zealand Open Grass Kerry Melville 0–6, 6–4, 6–1

123. 1970 Bio-Strath London Hard Court Championships Clay Joyce Williams 6–1, 4–6, 6–4

124. 1970 Rothmans Surrey Grass Court Championships Grass Patti Hogan 2–6, 6–3, 6–4

125. 1970 Chichester International Grass Joyce Williams 6-4, 6-4

126. 1970 Istanbul International Championships Clay Winnie Shaw 6-4, 6-1

127. 1970 Dewar Cup Torquay Carpet (i) Virginia Wade 6-4, 6-1

128. 1971 Caribe Hilton Championships Hard Nancy Richey Gunter 6-4, 6-4

129. 1971 Caesar's Palace World Pro Championships Hard Billie Jean King 7-5, 6-4

130. 1974 Slazenger Torquay Open Carpet (i) Janet Newberry 7-5, 7-6

131. 1975 Slazenger Torquay Open Carpet (i) Winnie Wooldridge 4–6, 6–1, 6–3

132. 1975 Midland Counties Championships Grass Inge Korsten 6-0, 6-1

133. 1975 Tally-Ho! Open Tennis Championships Clay Julia Lloyd 6-1, 6-3

134. 1977 Red Hackle West of Scotland Championships Grass Helena Anliot 6-3, 7-5

135. 1977 Essex Championships Grass Debra Parker 6-3, 7-5

136. 1977 Midland Counties Championships Grass Corinne Molesworth 6-4, 6-4

Amateur titlesProfessional titles1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1974 1975 1977 3 5 5 3 3 16 9 12 12 6 8 7 11 7 9 8 2 1 3 3