Kay Stammers

Katherine "Kay" Esther Stammers (3 April 1914 – 23 December 2005) was a tennis player from the United Kingdom.

Career Stammers was born on 3 April 1914 in St Albans, United Kingdom where her parents taught her to play tennis on the grass court at their family home. Left-handed and with a good forehand,

Stammers played when Helen Wills Moody, Helen Jacobs, Alice Marble,

Stammers won the women's doubles title at the Wimbledon Championships in 1935 and 1936 with partner Freda James. She also won the women's doubles title at the 1935 French International Championships with partner Peggy Scriven. Her best performances in women's doubles at the U. S. National Championships were in 1936, 1937, and 1938 when she reached the semifinals and in 1939 when she reached the final. In the 1936 semifinal, she and partner Marble were defeated by Jacobs and Sarah Palfrey Fabyan 6–2, 21–19. In the 1939 final, she and partner Freda James Hammersley lost to Marble and Palfrey Fabyan 6–1, 6–2.

Her other career singles highlights include winning the Surrey Hard Court Championships on clay courts four times (1932–1934, 1936), the Aldeburgh Open Hard Courts (1931).

Appearance Stammers' physical appearance ensured that she attracted more than the usual interest from the press Stammers' tennis clothes were much detailed in the newspapers. She designed her own shorts in uncrushable linen cut full to four inches above the knee and wore them with an open-necked shirt. Stammers married Michael Menzies, then in the Welsh Guards. and was buried in the family cemetery on 28 December 2005.

Grand Slam tournament finals

Singles: (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreLoss 1939 Wimbledon Championships Grass Alice Marble 2–6, 0–6

Women's doubles: (3 titles, 1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScore Win 1935 French Championships Clay Margaret Scriven Ida Adamoff Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling 6–4, 6–0 Win 1935 Wimbledon Championships Grass Freda James Simonne Mathieu Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling 6–1, 6–4 Win 1936 Wimbledon Championships Grass Freda James Helen Jacobs Sarah Palfrey Fabyan 6–2, 6–1Loss 1939 U. S. National Championships Grass Freda Hammersley Sarah Palfrey Fabyan Alice Marble 5–7, 6–8

Mixed doubles: (1 runner-up) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreLoss 1935 U. S. National Championships Grass Roderich Menzel Sarah Palfrey Fabyan Enrique Maier 4–6, 6–4, 3–6

Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

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

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