Eileen Bennett Whittingstall

Eileen Bennett Whittingstall (née Bennett; 16 July 1907 – c. 18 August 1979, full name Eileen Viviyen Bennett Fearnley-Whittingstall ) was a tennis player from the United Kingdom who won six Grand Slam doubles titles from 1927 to 1931.

Career Although most of her success was in women's doubles or mixed doubles, Whittingstall reached the singles final of the 1928 French Championships and the 1931 US Championships. She lost both of these finals in straight sets to Helen Wills Moody. She twice won the women's doubles title at the French Championships: in 1928 with Phoebe Holcroft Watson and in 1931 with Betty Nuthall. Whittingstall and Nuthall lost the 1932 final to the team of Moody and Elizabeth Ryan.

Whittingstall teamed with Ermyntrude Harvey to reach the 1928 women's doubles final at Wimbledon, losing to the team of Watson and Peggy Saunders 2–6, 3–6. She also teamed with Shoemaker to win the 1931 women's doubles title at the U.S. Championships, defeating Helen Jacobs and Dorothy Round Little in the final in two sets.

Bennett is credited with first wearing an above-the-knee form of divided skirt for competitive tennis.

Personal life She was married on 19 November 1929 to Edmund Fearnley-Whittingstall, a painter, and divorced in 1936. She was divorced from Mr Marsh in early 1947 and married Mr Geoffrey Ackroyd in June 1947. She married for a fourth and final time in June 1957 to Mr Carl Vyvyan Forslind who outlived her.

Grand Slam finals

Singles (2 runners-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1928 French Championships Clay Helen Wills 1–6, 2–6Loss 1931 U.S. National Championships Grass Helen Wills 4–6, 1–6

Doubles (3 titles, 2 runners-up)

Mixed doubles (3 titles, 1 runner-up)

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline